Fate Has Been Kind

19. Previous stays in Denmark. When?

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FATE HAS BEEN KIND

by

Tiik Rt. Hon.

LORD PETHICK-LAWRENCE, P.C.

Secretary for India and Burma

THE NATIONAL BOOK ASSOCIATION
HUTCHINSON & CO. (Puri.niiiR 3 ), LTD.
BoirvxRiE HofsE

154 Fleet Street, Lovdok, E.C-4

TO

MY WIFE

BY WHOSE CONSTANT INSPIRATION
MY LIFE HAS BEEN ENRICHED

Prclflce

Tiinrn major wars affecting this countr> ha\e occurred during m> life-
time My reactions touards them, as wl! be seen from the pages of this
book, have been widely different The Boer War was, m my opinion, a
crime and a blunder, a crime because in spite of some provocation it was
almost pure imperialist aggression . a blunder because it raised up against
us m South Africa opposition, from a major part of the white inhabitants,
which remains to this day I am convinced that the British elements in
that country would have been far stronger at the present time if it had
nev cr taken place

The war of 1914-18 arose in m> view out of a clash of rival ambitions,
and I place responsibility for the immediate outbreak primarily on the
shoulders of two weaT. men— the Kaiser of Germany and the Ciar of
Russia I should have liked to see our own country remain outside the
struggle and m a position 10 intervencat the appropriate time to arbitrate
between the combatants But granted the alignment of European
politics which preceded it, and granted the invasion of Belgium by the
German armies, this was probably impossible I believed, however, that,
even after our entry, there came a tune when a settlement could have
been negotiated, wluch vsould have safeguarded every British mtcret
and preserved the peace of the world for as far into the future as human
foresight could reaoi Whether I was right or wrong can only be a matter
of conjecture but I ask those who take a contrary view not to be misled,
by the adage that ‘history repeats itself into thinking that the Kaiser
was the protott’pe of Hitler, or that the Constitution of Germany m
1914-18 was at all comparable with that of 1939 Such a view is no more
true than that the Russia of the Czar was the same as the heroic Soviet
Union of today

NVhen the war was in fact brought to an end by the defeat of Germany,

I took the view that the revolutionary elements m that country , which had
dethroned the Kaiser should have been supported in their efforts to es-
tablish a viable repubbe and to keep the military elements in Germanv m
subjection I was opposed, therefore, to tie continuance of the hunger
blo(±ade after the Armistice • I was opposed also to the terms of peace
which placed large numbers ol Gennans beyond the frontiers of the Rach
fixed ^e mdemnity at an impossffile figure, and CQ*istramed the German
Government to sign, under duress an adnusron of sole responsibilitv for
the war ^

I further opposed the wav the treaty was adrmrustered. I thought it

• Tbu \>rw *rai also lalrn hr Mr Winjtoo Caorefc " - —

PREFACE

8

seekmg a clearer understanding of the past, in order to take their Stand
with regard to the future To all those who have helped me m my task
I tender my grateful thanks To ray wife whose vision has led me on
to my secretaries Miss Knowles and Miss Groom who have assisted my
laboius with their advice and technical skill to my friends, Evelyn Sharp
and Cuthbert and Kathleen Wilkinson who have corrected typescript
and proofs to these and to many others I acknowledge my mdebtedness
Without their kindly encouragement and help the work could not have

been accomplished

F W Pethick Lawrence

Lincoln s Inn
'December 1942

A SONG OF SPRING*

I saw the snowdrops, stars of outer's night.

And asked who gave them courage to uprnse
Their shapely heads, and hide them not in fnght
At cold and bitmg winds tn earth's dark days
They answered “She who gave us life's delight
Enioioed on us to gladden all your ways
For love of her wc smile m frost’s despite ”

Next crocuses appeared in fairy ring.

Purple for winter's pall, white for the cold
hloon 5 beams, gold for the sunny dawn of Spring
I dapped my bands for joy But they made bold
To mock me with my loxe’s prolonged delay
And laughing, bade me re^ \a b^ks of old
01 April's sun and woman s Ackle way

Then all along the hedge a Ime of dame
Shot out. and ^^etber Earth s Green l,<idy cried
"hW children greet you. daflodib their name
They wish to be your playmates, at your side
Disportmg As ye all obey the same
Dear mistress, they refuse to be denied
bo, brother, come and jom tbeir happy game'

At Easter I will to the wood repair.

And feast mine eyes on blaeteUs, for I know
That all the azure of the sky is there.

And they’ll on me a benison bestow
From my dear love, ful&IUog her sweet prayer.
That in my labours I may ever go
From strength to strength, serene, devoid ol care

In May the tnlips round the pond will cry

B'hcre is our mistress * All the winter s night
Ha\e we bedecked ourselves that we might vie
In flaunting gorgeous blooms before her sight
Invaio?" "Gneve not, dear flowers ’ IwiUrepIy,
"To other lands her presence bnngs delight.

But to the wild wild rose, the rose of June,

Mine own full song of ecstasy I U sing
"Tby heavenly colours draw from son and moon.

From love’s sweet breath thy honeyed fragrance bring
\t eave texture from th’ etber^ air at coon.

Transcendin loveliness all flowers of Spring
r or my dear love comes home to me is J one '

F W Pethick-Uwrevcs

* This poem, describing the flowers in the garden at Foorways, was
Wife in the spring of 1930, when she was away ca a visit to South Afnca

^tten for

my

9

PREFACE

Content

A SONO OF SPRING

CHAPTER I

EARLY YBAKS

Childhood — Forbears — Day-school aad boardiog-school

5

9

J5

CHAPTER II

ETON

School SQpenonty complex — Fagging — Lessons and games — Collegers and
oppidans— Graodlather's death— Captain oi the oppidans— Royal
visitors — Mr Gladstone — Afterthoughts about Eton . . . . »i

CHAPTER III

CAMBRIDGE

Tnsity CoUeg^-Webb oi St John's— The romance of matbematies— Under-
graduate life— Fourth wrangler— A double first— -Smith’s pnteman—
Alfred fitarshaJl— President of the Union— Visits to Oxford— Joe Cham*
berUin— Billiards for the University— A to America— Dr Brooke

Herford— An eclipse of the sun m Norway — Fellow of Tnnity . . jo

CHAPTER IV

ROUND THE WORLD

India before the motor-car— 'Famine in Madras— A question of Exchange —

The Brabma-Samaj — Another eclipse of the sun— -Jamabandy — Ceylon —
Australia and New Zealand — Coma — Japan — Fujiyama — USA — ^Tho
Yellowstone Park . 37

CHAPTER V

COURTSHIP

Condition of the people— Mansfield House— CampbeU-Bannennao— Unionist
candidate— Love' at first sight— 'Sister Emmie’— The Boer War— A
Visit to South Afnca— Olive Schreiner— Searchings of heart— The eon*
centration camps— An essay on housing— Donkin professor ... 4 ?

to

tiO

CHAPTER VI

JOURNALISM

Coatrol of the £cAi7— Distta»ished coatnbutors — Henry Pethick — Tbe
Esp^rance Clab— Th® Boer War— A latnily breach — An uaasnal wedding
— Pott Ridge — ^T. P O’Coimor — Chinese labour — Lloyd George— H N
Srailsford — Birth ol the Labour Party— Ramsay MacDonald — Colonel
Creswell — W T Stead — Tke Reformers' Year Book — The Labour Record
and Rnxew — Keir Hardie— A visit to Egypt — The Echo ceases publication 57

CHAPTER VII

THE SUFFRAGETTES

South Africa — ^President Steyn — General Hertiog — The 1906 Election —
Woman suffrage— Why it was opposed — ^Militaney — ^My initiatioo—
Annie Kenney — The first London unprisonments — The W S P U —
Christabel — Arrest of my wife — 'Ten pounds a day’ — My wife’s release
—Militant demonstrations — Bail — Split in the ranks 66

CHAPTER VIII

THE TRIUMVIRATE

Votes far Women newspaper — A hectic week — Albert Hall meetings— Demon-
stration m Hyde Park— The Pankhnrsts in gaol — My wife in command—

My only bnef— Growth ol the W S P U —My wise’s second irapnson-
raent— The militant campaign— The hunger stnk^Winston Churchill
as Home Secretary — The Men's Political Union— By-elections— A suffra-
gette fair— Spint of the militants . . 76

CHAPTER IX

PRISON

Periods of Truce — Renewal of militancy— My arrest for conspiracy —Evelyn
Sharp — A night at Bow Street — Police-court proceedings— On remand —
Uncle Edwin — Frayed nerves — A visit to Cbnstabel m Pans — Trial at
the Old Bailey — ^Tira Kealy — ^My address to the )Uty— Verdict — A
fneodly nder— Sentence — Wormwood Scrubs — Bnxton — Lafe in prison
— Political status — Hanger stnke — Forahle feeding — Release 87

CHAPTER X

WOMEN WIN THE VOTE

Divided counsels — ^The leaders separate — Estimate of the Pankbursts — ^The
Cat and Mouse Act — The Mascot sold up — Bankruptcy — ^Manhood
Suffrage Bill — Asquith's dilemma — ^The Speakers Conference — Women’s
victory— Ten years later— Ttesiilts ol womens enlrandoisenrot .

CHAPTER XI

THE FIRST WOtaD WAR

Pre-war life — Links with Germany — Outbreak of war — Death of Keip Hardie
— A visit to U SA — Women at the Hague — Union of Detaocrabc Control
— E D Morel — Lees-Snuth — Candidature in S Aberdeen — IVace bv
negotution— levy on capital — ^Sydney Arnold — Bernard Shaw— Cbo-
saentious objector — Work on a fara— The armistice . . ^ *

12

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XII

IN SEARCH OF A SEAT

The 'Cwpoo* election — My wife's CAndidature — Sweeping Conservative gams
—Divergent British views— The Treaty of Versailles— A lecture tour m
USA —Justices Brandeis and Wendell Holmes— America rejects the
L^gv^—lVky Prtees Jttse and Fatt^A. Atvt homo— Andorra- Inactivity
■■—Light on ike Path — Defeat at Islington — European journey — Benes — A
fight m Leicester — Churchill as an opponent — TTie count — M P at last T19

CHAPTER XIII

BACK BENCHER

Life in Parliament — A billiard match — ^An odd dinner party — A political •
puttie — Asquith's pronouncement — -Labour in office — Procedure of the
House — ^Malden speech — Neville Chamberlain — Party allegiance— The
Inter parliamentary Union — The ‘Zinoviev election — Narrow victory
m Leicester 129

CHAPTER XIV

fN OPPOSITION

Speeches in the House — Winston Churclult s Budgeta— The gold standard —

The General Strike— In Amenca with the I P U — A New Mexico danc^-
Sir Austen Chamberlain— A speech m Pans— Silver weddmg— l^mard
Shaw a letter— A visit to India— Lord Lyttoo — Sir Jagadis Bos^-
Rabmdranath Tagore— The Congress— Gandhi— Lord Irwin— Distress
in South Wales— A financial debate— Philip Snowden 139

CHAPTER XV

rv OFFICE

At the Treasury — Holidays with pay— Difficult decisions — Municipal banks
— Opposition from behind — A non party dinner — Finance Bui debates
— Criticism of Cburchtli — How Parlument works — Unemployment — The
May Committee — Lloyd George attacks Simon — 'Ask Papa — Montagu
Norman — Treasury and Bank — Taxation of land — Stafford Cripps — The
summer recess 150

CHAPTER XVI

THE GOLD CRISIS

Three Bntish committees — Failure of European banks — Run cm gold — The
May report — A Budget 'defiat' — Cabinet crisis — A meetmg in Downing
Street— U)ut of office— MacDonald's forecast — Cuts in salaries — Off the
gold standard — General election — ^The doctor's mandate' — ^An election
red hemng — Defeat in Leicester

CHAPTER XVII

INDIA AND RUSSIA

The Round Table Conference — Member of the Federal Structure committee
— An uncompleted task — Majorca — A visit to USSR — A Leningrad
financier— The B^k of Russia— Molotov— The Volga boat— Rostov— A
prison— Kief— A unique economy— “rbe Five Year Plan— Russian and
Bntish life compared ... • •

CONTENTS

13

CHAPTER XVni

WORLD PERSPECTIVES

A visit to Spam — Devaluation of Amencan dollar— Hitler in power— The
DimitroS Committee — Egypt — I^estmo— Jew and Arab— The Emir
0! Transjordama — Damascus— Athens and the Parthenon — ^Turkey —
Atatuxk’s reforms — A conference of women 178

CHAPTER XIX

EDINBURGH M P.

Invitation to East Edinburgh — European sitnation — The peace ballot — 1935
election — A Govemineot pledge — Result of the poll — Abyssinia — ^The
, Hoare-Laval treaty — ^Words ol Eunpides— Conservative psychology — A
defence ol collective security — ^Equal pay — ^Seville Chamberlain’s Budgets
— Death of Geoi^e V — The Civil List — Pnvy Councillor — A new Pnme
Minister . . . .184

CHAPTER XX

THE WORLD IN ARMS

The Spanish war— Non-intervention — Covernnsent policy— Resignation of
< Anthony Eden— Invasion of Austna— A speech on national unity—
Czecho Slovakia — ^rchtesgaden and Munich— Chamberlain’s reactions
-^Conscription— A flight to Geneva — The outbreak of hostihtie^The
•phoney’ war— Resimation of ChamberUin— The Coahtion— Lees-Smith
as Ctuurman— The household means test— Public Accounts Committee
—Leader of the Opposition— The Battle of Britain— New allies— The
world after the war 193

CHAPTER XXI

MY PHILOSOPHY

Enlargement of personality — Integration ol sell — Control of thoughts — ^Jpy
and sorrow— Failure — ^The world around us — Barriers of sex, class, "race
and age — Sex characteristics — A difference of approach — Class complexes
— International strife — Young and old — ^The greater life — Rigid pnn-
ciples — ^The natural law — Kanna and Forgiveness of Sin — ^Light on toe
path ■ • . .

I A TC HA 9 B rr V KI v D

learning llie mulliplicalion t ilile, and before f reached mv leeni I divci led
myself m bed by extending il beyond the orthodox twebe times tnelve,
up to nineteen times nineteen But sometimes I cried myself to sleep
puzzling over lafinit^ That God should continue for infinite time m the
future seemed to me just thinkable, but that He had existed as I was told,
from mOnity m the pas J baffled rae so hopelessly as to make me miserable
Suppose, instead, there had been a definite date of begmningl And be-
hind that, what? There was clearly no escape that way So I learnt in
mute despair my first lesson m the limitation of my finite mind

Reading presented no special dilficultics to me, but I never get from
it the. delight which it brings to some cliildren, who find in a book an
entry mto an enchanted world This was partly due to the fact that I
suffer from a very slight astigmatism, so that small print generally gave
me a headache, and this continued until m adult life a doctor advised me
to wear glasses, of course, 70 years ago no one thought children should
have them — ‘it made them look so odd' My sujierabundant energy
also made it very difficult for me to sit still, and I was frankly bored with
most of the books I was given to read

Wnting was a painful process, because m those days U was considered
essential to slope all the letters downwards from right to left As my hand
refused to describe characters m this way naturally, a wooden instrument
was affixed to it to constrain it mto the correct position I always thought
of this piece of mechanism as 'the torture' But it was successful to the
extent of enabling me to produce an untidy and irregular script on
orthodox lines It was not until I was fourteen or fifteen that a master
at Eton suggested that I should try an upright style like that of my
tutor's I took his advice with alaenty, and m gainmg freedom achieved
for the first tune a writing character of my own

Languages I never succeeded m learning though I tried hard I
remember once, when m the 'prep' hour I was doing what was called
Latin prose. I looked at ray watch and discovered that I had not time to
complete the work in my usual painstaking way I skimped the rest of
it, and wrote down hurriedly the first Latm words that came into my head
Next day the master said to me "Lawrence, there is a remarkable dif-
ference m the two parts of this translation The first part is what I may
call your usual 'faithful dog', the second part has some character m it
and IS mu(i more like Latm I gasped m surprise, and naturally was
not slow m future to profit by the unconscious advice

I have no recollections that suggest that as a child I possessed any
aesthetic sense whatever Music, poetry, painting had no meamng for
me, and my mother’s rhapsodies on the sunset and her enjojmient of the
‘nice drive’, which the whole family indulged m every afternoon awakened
in me no response

I had a passion for games Though ordinary 'playmg-cards' were
forbidden us (bemg somehow regarded as wicked), we had all sorts of
substitute card games One was called Wedding' there were pictures of
bnde and bridegroom parson and clerk the rejected lover, and the
lawyer on whose turning up the game was for some mysterious reason
brought to an end Then we had Proverbs , of which the shortest was
'little and good' — ' That s what pajia used to call me my mother would
say — and also a fascinating spectacular game called Stock Exchange

FARLV YFARS

17

One of the griefs of my childhood was the crueltj inflicted on horses
in the streets when the whip was m constant use This \v^s a surprise to
my sisters, uho hid watched with dismay how as a hItJc cliild of three
years old I had so fligcllatcd the little wooden horses attacJjcd to a toy
cart, given to me in Mentone, that all tlicir paint had come off Whether,
in this, I was merely imitating what I had obsened or obeying some ele-
mental impulse I Jeaie to psycliiatrists to conjecture

My grandfather Lawrence wis a Qsmish carpenter Ulicn he was
nineteen he ivalkcd to Plymouth and came by ship to London, where he
worked his way up in lus trade, becoming a mister builder and the head
of the firm of William Lawrence 4 Sons They built a considerable part
of Cannon Street He was a member of the Carpenters’ Company, was
elected Alderman for the Bread Street W ard and. later, Sheriff of the City
of London Had he h\ed two years longer he would have been Lord
Mayor Thus he followed dose in the steps of Dick Whittington

He was a man of superabundant energy and pronounced principles
WTicn, in 1817, he mamed Jane Clark, a l^iccstcrshirc woman, his un-
ortliodox religious views compelled him, while conforming to the only
legal form of mamage, to make certain protests all through the ceremony.
Later, he joined the UnUanans, and m association with that body and in
other ways took an active part in pubbe life

Of his eleven children. Alfred, rny father, came fifth Strange as it
may seem, though 1 was nearly three and a ball years old wh'*n he died,
1 have no recollection of him whatever While still m middle life be had
an accident by colliding with a pillar m a railway -station as he was
running along beside a movnng tram I think he must have suffered an
intemai injury whidi was never discovered, as m those days there was no
X-ray photography He succumbed to pleurisy, after vainly seeking
health on the French Riv lera

My mother was a very gentle woman who loved peace and harmony
She was frankly ov crpow cred by the vngDrDi,s Lawrence personabty whidi
enjoyed disputation and revelled in defending cherished ty'hrfs \\
was left a widow at the age of 36 she had bttle or ro cxpcneuce of Mit
world, and deferred wnihout protest to the vnews of her Lawrence relatives
as to w here and how she should h\ e, and bow the family should be brought
up 1 came vxry close to her at many tunes m my life, particularh*

1 was alone with her, but w ben all her children were gathered rc*~d tV
table together, each expressing an opunon in a loud vuicc. I

fatehasbeenmnd

wistfully revetted that there was quite so much Lawrence in us, and that
It had not been diluted or mellowed by a little more of her own tempera
ment ^

As a, granddaughter of the famous preacher Robert Aspland, she
mhented Unitananism and it sufficed for all her rehgious needs With
its repudiation of eternal damnation, a doctrine then widely held, it
fitted m well with her gentle and kindly nature When her brother in law
expounded to her the Darwmian theory of evolution she accepted it, but
with resignation It was a pity to have to throw over the simple Bible
explanation of the creation of the world in 4004 b c

She took us all, every Sunday morning, to the Unitarian ‘Essex Church’,
and greatly preferred sermons about the beatitudes and brotherly kind-
ness to doctnnal polemics on theology The Mothers’ Meeting, assoaated
with the church, gave scope to her natural mstmet to befnend the poor
and the weak, and for years after her death her memory was afiectionately
cherished by those with whom it brought her into contact

My father’s youngest brother, Edwin, whom he chose to be our guar-
dian after his death, had a personahty very different from that of my
mother A man of a^undingenergyandalmostencyclopaedicLnowledge,
he endeared himself to me frommyearhest years because, having stiU a
boy’s heart, he understood what a boj wanted and gave it to me As a
tiny child I used to nde on his back and puU his whiskers from behind
as though they were reins Of course this was not really allowed, but he
was never angry about it As I grew older be stimulated my natural lo\ e
of mathematics, and taught me the common sense way of looking at
problems

He was as fond of games as I was, and allowed me to play billiards on '
his own table when I was so small that I could not use a cue With the
mace which he gave me instead I cut the doth m sev oral places—a temble
thing for me to have done — but he defended me when it was found out,
saymg it was his fault for giving me one with such sharp edges Later,
he used to have me fetched over m his dog-cart from school on holiday’s
to his house at Ascot , and we used to play on a sliding handicap until at
length It was I, then in my twenties, who was giving him points in (he
game

EARLY YEARS

of Lambeth On many matters of pubbc concern they hold and ni,f
pmctice advanced vrews. and whm they and Mmn is Se
o^t'h^ of Wilham Lawrence & Sons, retired from business, they handed

Tat S'" forei^cn

A ^ 0 *" her two brothers until James, at the advancer?

ge of 64, took to himself a wife and begat a child Aunt Jane had an
exception^y sharp tongue and was the terror of ray mother mv sisters

“Marns"'^ •"‘efandtVTm'h^l

. e f” ofd age she became deaf and began rapidly to no downhill hut
she'^hid "i ’"'“‘Ja'' Wil^ was dymg she deteimmed not to let go until

*'"= Patil their

Mnad^ T •'ar withdrew to a comer of the room to

X°‘“® ‘'"'y expressed their amazement that with her
mvT f “"“““/'I t» l>ve on "What does he say ?” said

my aunt to a relative standmg by "No heart, no lungs, no kidne;^"
But her iron will prevaded and she outhved my uncle by a fortnight^

I was bom in London m 1871, the year that saw the end of the Franco-

rassan war My buthday was December aSth, a day after that of mv

JhrSV? i 7 *'° ‘'“b •»n> >b i860 So Chnstmastune mw

three celebrations all m one, which was certainly a disadvantage from a

G'hh^sterGardensfBishS’s

Road, not very far from Paddmgton StaUon on the one side and Wat-
hid'Ef ‘f;* bffi'i I ‘•“bk *f>e electnc arc hgbts at Paddm^n

trel’l'" “* ^ earher,bnt I remember being taken as a mat

treat to see the mcMdescent electnc light outside Whiteley’s shop which
I was told was the first ofitskmdm this country The strrets as a whole
were dimly hghted with fish tall gas burners, Ld ms.de Mr tom w
used colza od lamps which had to be wound up at intervals to go uo tn
our bedrooms we had candles * B

Though, as I have said, I do not remember my father I do remember
va^ely bemg taught to say "AlUz, AlUx" to the httle boys who turarf
Latherme wheels alongside our carnage at Mentone, so close to us that
we were atad they would be run over I also recoUect leammg mv
letters on the floor at an hotel m Folkestone when the familv had rem.
back from the Contment ^

When I was SIX a governess came to give me lessons I hked b.r
very much, though at tunes I fancy 1 led her a great dance She snil^
times read to me from Hatts Andersen s Fairy Tales This was a ^ »
treat, as my mother rather disapproved of fauy stones and even
Alice tn Wonderland as mclmed to make children beheve whaf
tniel But I was tembly gneved for the 'little mermaid' Mv
was the daughter of a Unitarian Minister and much of her reliiim,«i
mg I accepted without question But when she spoke of th
dans and told me that they also worshipped one God. but tbf>f
diSerent God from the one that Christians worshipped I T.sr.i.-j ^
did not understand how that could be ' P“Cd that I

^Vhen I was seven jears old my mother confided m me tha* v
forty It seemed a great age, and she certamh looked thg. « IT®

part m her

20

FATE HAS BEEN KIND
widow s weeds, which she continued to wear for many years until she
discarded them for a httle cap I wonder what she would have thought
of the women of w^ over fifty today who as mothers, and sometimes as
grandmothers, partnered me in lawn tennis tournaments a few years
ago and could still play an excellent game

When I was eight or tune I went to a day-school in London kept by a
Mr Topham, a pedagogue ol quite the old-fashioned style It was there
that I was made to wear the wooden 'torture' to teach me to wnte But
I enjoyed domg the sums he set us and found the Greek alphabet quite
mterestmg The school used to go for a walk every day m Hyde Park,
and m cold weather we ran races, stUl wearing our great-coats As ne
never changed our clothes when we got home and were often wet through
with perspiration, I wonder none of our parents ever protested against it
I used to go every summer with my mother and sisters to spend several
weeks at the seaside, first at Bnghton, and m later years at Folkestone,
which suited me much better as I was able to indulge my passion for
diggmg m the sand There, too, I was mitiated into lawn tennis, and
watch^ with admiration the play of a number of men who used the over-
head smash shot, which had only recently come into use

On Christmas Day we always drove over to see my mother’s father,
Henry Ridge, who had an old fashioned home in Stamford Hill He ful-
filled exactly the tradition of 'grandpapa' and had a well trimmed white
beard He was a stock-jobber and used to share The Tmes newspaper
with a neighbour to whom he sent it along shortly after his midday dinner
1 remember his disgust with Mr Gladstone because he put up the income
tax to 'fippence'

At eleven, I left home lor the first time to go to a boarding school
called Wixenford It was at Evcrsley, near VVokingham, m Berkshire,
and was kept by a nephew of the great Arnold of Rugby When my
mother left me m the big dmmg-room of the school with Mrs Arnold
I certamly felt a bit queer, but I was comforted by the presence of another
Uttle boy m much the same plight It was John Walter of the famous
Ttmes family Of course I saw much of him at Wixenford. and I remember
my discomfiture when he beat me m the chess competition and earned
off the school chess pnze Later, when we were at Eton together, he used
to say jokmgly that if I was senior wrangler I should do the weather chart
for The Ttmes, and so, when I eventually came out fourth be wrote me
a postcard with the cryptic wordmg * Congratulations but not good
enough for the weather chart " « , • -r , .u

Another of my Wixenford schoolmates was Robert Trevelyan, the
ooet the second son of Sir George Trevelyan who was fnsh Secretary
under Gladstone Unlike John Walter and myself, he went to Harrow,
but rejomed me at Trinity College, Cambndge, of which his brother
Georee is now Master At Wixenford he was always known by his
nickname 'the Dodo' I remember going with him during the holidays
to his house m London, where we played with a truly magnificent set of
lead soldiers belonging to his father Our friendship has lasted all our bfe
and his house today is quite close to my owrim Surrey

A third Wixenfordian whose path crossed mine agam m later life was
a VQunecr boy with black hair and dark eyes and an unmistakable Irish
acwnt He Hugh Law, afterwards one of the Pamellite members

ETON 21

o! Parliament Shortly after my xnamage I paid a visit to his house in
BalJymore, near Londonderry, and imbilicd something of the atmosphere
o! Insh politics

Wixcnford was on the whole a well run preparatory school It had
extensive grounds m which wc played footbiul, cncket and a little lawm
tennis The tone of the school was good punishments were few and the
masters were well up to their work and on very fair terms with the bop

Arnold himself was rather a terror to us A giant m stature (I think
he was 6 feet 5 inches tall) he used as a minor punishment to stand a
boy on a chair and lift up his chin till his face was close to his own and
m that position give him a wigging But he was never cruel or vindictiv e
With the classical masters I naturally did not find much favour, as I
never took the smallest interest in the subjects they taught It was more
surprising however that the chief mathematical master took a dislike
to me, for I was certainly an apt pupil I remember that in my first year
I was given the papers intended for the senior boys and only just failed
to secure full marks Had I done so the master said he w ould hav e asked
for a hall hobday for the school which would ha\ e made me very popular
With the bovs

I left Wixenford in 1885 when I was jsj years old Prompted by my
schoolmates I had expressed a wish to my uncle to go to Eton, and as he
was probably already of the same opinion he at once consented I think
Arnold would have liked me to try for a scholarship but as my uncle*
thought that would be unfair to bop who really were m need of free
schooling I did not sit for the examination

CHAPTER II

ETON

School supenonty complex — Fagging — Lwooa aad game*— CoUegen tad oppidaos
— Crandfatber s death— Captain of the oppidaa*— Royal vmtota— llr Glad
stone — ^Afterthoughts about Eton

The outstanding characteristic of Eton as I knew it in the 'eighties of
last century was its supenonty complex. This permeated the school from
the headmaster to the smallest ml^-cuifed Lower boy and extended to
the tradesl>eople and the whole town I need hardly explain that I use
the phrase m a collective, and not an individual sense, and that it has
nothing to do with what boys call 'cockmess', or with that aggressive
self assertion which generally springs from an exactly opposite complex.

Of course a sort of group-patnolism is a common hninan trait not
confined to Eton It is nothmg unusual, therefore, that in the Eton
Boatmg Song a promise is made alway's to 'swear by the b^ ©f schooU'
and a contrast is drawn between Eton and others m the wori ^

IfxiTow nay bo moro clever ~

Rugby may make more rw
But we'll swing tsgetber
St»dy fi oa stroke to bow

24 ^ fatehasbeenkind

which the boys called a burry (? bureau), a chair and a table We had
our tea in our rooms, sometimes shanng with a messmate, and we also
had breakfast there until Mr Cole decided to provide breakfast down-
stairs We were given a new candle each evening, by the light of which
to do our 'prep' work In the wmter the boys maid used to come in,
before we got up, to lay the fire, and I remember that I usually slept nght
through all the noise she made

When the boys went home for the holidays reports were sent after
them by the various masters who had had to deal with them The one
written about me by my principal class master, a Mr Impey, rather
surprised my people by its unconventionality It ran Good sober old
fellow *

Having fallen a victim in the Christmas hohdays to the virulent
influenza epidemic, I arrived back at Eton a few weeks after the Lent
'half' had begun, and found that I was no longer a Lower boy I had at
my entry the previous September been placed m 'Remove', a kmd of
'tweeny' class between the fourth form (the second* lowest in the school)
and the fifth, and according to usual practice I should have spent three
, ‘halves' working my way up through its sub^visions But m the exami-
nations in December I had (I was told) distinguished myself m mathe-
/ matics by scoring aoif marks out of a maximum of 200, and I suppose
my other papers were not too hopeless Even so I do not thmk that
Johnny Cole would have been able to secure special promotion for me
if it had not been that another boy was m much the same position and his
housemaster insisted that he should go up to the fifth That meant that
I was promoted too The other boy was^ Hogg, who later sat opposite
to me for some years m the House of Commons and is now Lord Hailsham
Once in the fifth, promotion was by seniority only, and Hogg and I went
up through the school together with our names m -the same (alphabetical)
order side by side

Next half was again a broken one for me Though an Upper boy I
was allowed to play cncket on ‘sixpenny , the field given over to the Lower
boys who were, of course, my read contemporones m age I was making
some progress m the game for the first time when I fell a victim to whoop-
mg cough I went home and my mother nursed me with the same loving
care through this the last of my childish illnesses that she had shown
when 1 had had chicken pox, measles scarlet fever and mfluenza As a
convalescent I spent a very happy six weeks with her at Margate and
indulged m horse ndmg, archery and ndmg a tricycle At the end of it
Ediwn. t/ink. onr. w.bnJn. famibj awaii with him tn Switzerland
and mitiated me mto the delights of foreign travel

I had no further interruptions in my school life The Eton week
consisted of thiee whole school days and three half holidays Early
school wasirom 7 to 8, then, after breakfast, there was chapel school from
g 45 to 10 30 and agam from ii 15 to 12 Dinner was at 2, afternoon
school for the Upper boys was from 3 to 4ajid 5 to 6 Of course m addition

•The lowest was the third form presided over by Mr Inje allerwards the larooas
Dean of St Paul ».

t The explanation was that there were three

As the total marJes allotted to them was aoo, atsd as *oo does not diMde by 3 67 was full
marks for each •

ETON 25

a great deal o{ preparation had to be done in one's own house out of school
hours All red letter Saints’ Days were whole holidays (quite a number of
them each half), and on those no work was done after early school One
or two days in the year were known as ‘non dies’, because on them there
was no work m school at all

Latin and Greek occupied most of our time and I found them deadly
dull Ko doubt at that age my mind was most stenie soil in which to
implant the seeds of hterature But I cannot help thinking that the worst
method was adopted of arousing our interest It we were 'domg' a Greek
play, for mstance, we got through some 20 hnes only in each lesson, and
all the stress was placed on our knowmg the cases of the nouns and the
tenses of the verbs At this rate we scarcely ever completed the play
before the end of the ‘half’ Even the literal meaning of the sentences
generally escaped me, and of the tremendous human issues of the drama
I never had the foggiest notion I suspect that only a tmy minority of
my class-mates would have a different tale to tell

When it came to mathematics I was one of the exceptions who
understood what it was all about, and occasionally m my later years,
when I was m a privileged position, I used to put conundrums to the
masters I remember a fierce argument I had over the precise mechamcal
reaction of an oarsman rowing a boat, and in the end I gained my point
Each year the boys with a mathematical bent competed for the Tomline
prue While I was at Eton it was won in three successive years by boys
of 16 or 17 over boys two or three years their senior (Of course previous
winners did not compete ) The first of these was Phihp Cowell, who was
afterwards senior ivrangler and, later, editor of the Naulte^ Almanac
I still meet hun once a year at the Tnnity College Commemoration TTie
second was Hurst, who afterwards was second wrangler m the year follow-
ing Cowell I was the third in the hne Some years later I was invited to
examine for the Tomlme and the other mathematical prizes at Eton I
have kept the papers of the exammee® ia ^oolong over the names I
find that of 'Keynes', who is now the celebrated economist

Another subject which fascinated me was what was referred to as
‘saence’ and covered elementary phjsics and chemistry ITie lectures
were given in the laboratory with expenments, and as soon as I had
enough money to afford it I bought some apparatus of my own, and re-
peated them in the holidays Mr Madden, the semor saence master, had
charge of the Eton Observatory, and it was a great thrill to get special
permission to go out late in the evening to look through the telescope at
the moon and the stars The second saence master and I became great
friends and I used to go to bis house after school hours to be imtiated mto
higher branches of mathematics I remember that the remaming saence
master was one of those who could never keep disapline One day on
coming mto the room he told us that be had had a berear ement and asked
us for once not to be unruly The class responded to the appeal and dead
silence pre^'ailed throughout the lesson

The games at Eton were almost exclusir ely managed by the
themselves, and each of the three ‘halves' of the jearhad its approonat
game Football ruled from September to December and induded*^^th
the field game, alreadj mentioned, and a peculiar game, played aIon^,$”
a vvall in college This wall game was the onlv form of football pla

FATEHASBEENKIND

by the collegers, Md very few oppidans learnt it. I was always hopms to
have tte ch^ce, but it never came my way On St Andrew's Da> each
year the histone cont^t m the wall game took place between a team of
oppidans and a team of collegers From January to Easter we played the
Eton vanety of 'Fives', the courts being replicas of a natural court formed
by the steps and the buttresses of the famous Eton Chapel There were
not nearly enough fives courts for all to play regularly, so this half got
the name of^the loafing half From Easter to July ‘dry bobs’ played
cticket and wet bobs' rowed on the nver Rather against my will I
opted to be a 'dry bob’, for my nncle said that otherwise I should only
fit myself to be a navvy m after life

Except m the class-rooms and in the annual football match collegers
and oppidans had little social intercourse with one another The collegers,
having won their posihon by their brains, and being the true inheritors
of the Foundation, probably looked down on the oppidans as slackers
and even as mterlopers The oppidans were inclmed to be disdamful of
the collegers, many of whom came from a lower social class, andshghtmgly
referred to them as ‘tugs', though the word originally only referred to the
gowns (togas) they wore m s^ool Inside the ranks of the oppid^s
themselves there were no class distmctions, and m that sense it was a
democratic soaety The son of a successful merchant and the son of a
duke were on precisely equal tenns, were called by their surnames without
prefix, and each bad to take his turn of fagging 1 remember Teck the
brother of our present Queen Mother, coming to me once with a message
from his fagmaster Even the f^ous 'Eton Soaety’, an exclusive club
more commonly called ‘Pop’, was composed of boys who were popular
and looked up to by their schoolmates, and so far as I know the social
standmg of their parents had nothing to do with their admission to its
membership

When I was 15, my grandfather Ridge died and I went up from Eton
to London to attend the funeral, which was earned out wth the usual
ceremonies I remember that on my return I was seized with imcontroU-
able mirth and recounted humorously the events of the day But thinking
it over later, I was tembly shocked at my own behaviour, for I was really
fond of the old man, who bad alwa>s bwn most kind to me I did not
of course know at the time that this was a common human reaction,
which I have often smee ob«rved m others e%en where I least expected
it • But it gave me an intense horror of the whole trappings of mourning
—darkened rooms, slow moving coaches, black clothes and gloves and
the rest— which has never left me I remember G K Chesterton sa>mg
to me once that he thought the words of the buml service! were very
grand, 'man that is bom of woman is bom to trouble as the sparks fly
npvwd * “But,” said he, * what the vvhole function suggests to
nic ts that man that is bom ol woman wears a black coat and a tall hat

• I mnwnlKf « m*a cnddBr Jokw wUb lb« Jwy it tt* earoBfr*# co U*

ioritS nx, »iu3 M lady *1 tbe lunrt*! of ter r*cUnf op • t-eu tJ a-TTj^lib tte

word*. 'VV<ll b're'* to oor fifU tamy n>*»tlB^, tod I •tn

t dticMd tool I ten T

1 words us«l la th« beUt Mrvke ur la teabtr t.<fet]r d.Serntt.

hypocnsy and fcaf" I welcome profoundly therefore
f '* Pnictice which evoke smcenty rathe? thto

approa'Sth^ Mwf ™

coiitr?^*! Q“aen Victoria was celebrated aU over the

^ was^owed a day s hobday from Eton to go with ray uncles
to fhe M^ion House to watch the procession in London It wi a klv
“ contrast to the Diamond Jubilee of 1897. mm?
fefc? o ? ^ I P»rt with my sctool!

We mil. i Pjocc^'™ through the grounds of Windsor Castle

Sr1?the‘?™,w chair outside

a dimifiln^n ‘ S ^ “r ^P“c her small stature, she was

^iSed figure, and she had reigned so long that she seemed to be a
peimanent part of the Bntish Constitution

divisi?ns?A?°nnw''“ * ■'»« through the various sub-

S?d a hoc with my schoolfellows and
soed a good deal of my aloofness and angulanty This change was accen

and l‘*w« ‘'if ‘ ““ ‘°”C*h year Johnny Cole retoed

Md I w^ transferred to a newly formed house presided over by Sidney
IZ htT ‘ 5 " f -Kidney Beans’ Xbout the same
Mon after, I passed over into the sixth fonn. the highest at Eton enn
of a smgle da^ taught by the headmaster himself when he w^
“O so and, in his ab«nce, by his assistant
Edmund Warre, the Head, was, as I remember him, a blufi fcowprfiif
typical John BuU but with a scholarly face ^ On^
nis functions was to interview boys who were reported to him for some
nwsdemeanour and to admonish them and sometimes to punish them
Atie most ^nous offences involved a flogging Frequently, as a member
whir ^ summon the offender, gomg round to the dass-ro^
Where he was and giving ray message I then had to be present when the
aomonition was pronounced or the punishment imposed I remember nr,®
small boy called Bagge, who had somehow got on the soft side of the Head
Demg sent for on account of being late for chapel When asked to exolam'

^ conduct he said "WeU, sir, it was partly your fault, yon

"f f ” T" ‘■to ‘■’c Hcixl “Pbed inth ichu^lS^

1 Shall t^e good care that you don't get round me this time " Hi<i
joke so pleased him that no punishment was given

The sixth form consisted of ten coUegers and ten oppidans anH
fernier aU ranked in schuol order above the latter The seSor SlT,?
was therefore always the 'Captain of the School', but the senior onnirSi
had an important place of his own with the title 'Captain of the OornSn?
Hogg reached this position in the last half of 1800, and when he 1^
at Chnstmas I stepped mto his shoes for the remaming two halves nf!S”
school year, which ended at midsummer

I inhented a box which told me all about my onvilepec
resfwnsibilities I had the nght to sit m the school tent dimn»
encket matches and keep the score I had the nght to waivv
playing fields carrymg a 'pop'* cane I had the duty of
corporal punishment with it on Upper boys guilty of certain

• So call^l because the member* of the club ‘IVjp’ had the nehttocsOTytj — ^

fatehasbeenkind

school disaplme I had the responsibility of managing the whole of the
iMtivities connected with the celebration of the famous Fourth of June
^ of these I duly earned out, mdndmg the caning of two oppidans who
had msulted two of the coUegers' But the Fourth of June festivities
never matenabzed because on June 3 the wife of the Provost died (most
mconsiderately, the boys said) and the function was cancelled Instead,
1 arranged, in consultation with the headmaster, for a bandand a fireworks
display on a date later in the half

On March i8 of that year (1891) the new Lower Schools were opened
^d a statue of Queen Victoria was unveiled by the Empress Frederick
Queen herself also came in person to the ceremony The captam of
the school was given an address to present to the Queen, and I had one
to present to the Empress I remember that while we were waiting for
the royal visitors to arrive the Duchess of Teck, whose son was at Eton,
came and jomed us, and she and her daughter Mary talked with us about
the new buildmg I little suspected then that this same daughter would
become a Queen and the mother of the present Kmg of England Of
course the events of the day were fully reported m the Press and an
imaginary picture of myself appeared m the Daily Graphic

Another illustrious visitor to whom 1 was presented was the Rt Hon
W E Gladstone He came to Eton to lecture on Homer, a relaxation*
subject in which he took great interest, though his views on it were con
sidered by the orthodox to be unsound Ihe headmaster mvited me to
dme with him and, I remember, talked a great deal throughout the meal
about the merits of sliding seats in the school boats It seemed to roe at
the tune that Mr Gladstone, though an old Etonian hunself, was not much
interested m the subject He was already in adianced years and was
evidently rather deaf, as he occasionally made asides to bis wife m audible
tones which we were not intended to overhear But his eye was still keen
and his face bespoke a personahty accustomed to make decisions and to
be obeyed

Not long after this I said good-bye to the old school and to those boy’s
who were not commg on wth me to Cambndge In accordance wth
custom I had my name cut into the wooden panelling of Upper School
My mind turned to the newer and wider life in front of me at Cam-
bridge, where I had already won in examination the position of a minor
Scholar of Tnnity

Smee I have left Eton I ha\c often asked myself the {question whether,
if I could have my time all over again, and had the choice os to where I
should be sent to school during the forroatiic years between 13 and 19
I would opt for Eton I ha\e neicr been able to give a decisive ansv(cr
There arc so many pros and cons, and there is the unformulatcd part of
the question as to what would have been the altemativ c

There is no doubt that from the standpoint of nozidly promotion my
Eton schooldav’S hav e been of incalculable benefit to me m after life Old
Etonians have stood by me on many occasions, and have often extended
their fncndship to me even when I was vigorously attacking their pnvi-
Icges and their preconceived ideas Also, the expenence t^t I gained at
Eton has given me an approach to men and affairs that lias been inviJiiawe

ETON 29

to me both in business and politics It is true that I paid a heavy pnce
for this in the shape of unhappiness daring several years of ray life at
Eton But the very fact that I stood then against the stream strengthened
my spint of independent judgment and gave me self-rehance iloreover,
my imhappmess was largdy my own fatut, or at any rate the fault of my
temperament and 'soft' upbnngmg Wherever and however 1 had been
educated, at some pomt or other I should have had to encounter the world
and its standards, and there is some truth in the view that it is better that
the shock of this encounter should be expenenced early in hfe, before
ouflook and character become crystallized

On the other side of the account must be set the exaggeratedimportance
attached at Eton m my day to convention The minutest departure from
correct behaviour or clothmg was an offence It was contrary to good form
not to put one’s hands m one s pockets, or to walk on the wrong side of
the street During my first half I was subjected to ragging because my
Eton jacket had a shght peak at the back At every pomt of school life
— at work, at play, at meals, in chapel in one’s own room — conduct was
hable to censure on the ground that it failed to conform to the unwntten
code I am aware of course, that this is to some extent a common failing
of mankmd, particularly of the young, and even extends, as I have often
observed, to the animal creation But I am convinced that at Eton and
possibly at other pubhc schools it is far more imperiously enforced thM
elsewhere, with the result that ongmahty tends to be stifled and freedom
of action and expression crushed It fua taken me nearly all my' hfe to
escape from this inhibition, if indeed even now I have fully emancipated
myself from it

There remams to be answered a diflercnt question Qmte apart from
the benefit to those who attend Eton, is it desirable for the nation that
such an mstitution should be confined mainly to boys of one class’ This
question IS really dual Should there be segregation of the sexes? Should
there be segregation of the classes’ On the first I will only say that, m
my opinion, co-educational schools are still in the experimental stage,
unless and until they are an approved success there is room for a consider-
able widenmg of educational facilities (not merely m scholarship) for
girls

The second IS the more living issue today and the answer must depend
on our hopes for the future of our country In the nmeteenth century the
gulf between the classes was wide and only a very few of those on one
side of It could expect to attam to positions of authonty m the nation
There was then some excuse for mamtammg a school confined to that
class which was likely to benefit most from the educational opporturuties
It had to offer

But the situation is quite different today Class distinctions are less
ngid and men and women of approved ability m all classes are fiUmg the
highest offices of State Already the Umversities are commg more^and
more into line wth this new conception If Eton has high traditions
which are worthy to be retained, as I beheve it has if it possesses a breadth
of educational outlook which makes it peculiarly fitted to tram thestatp^
men of the future, surely it is essential that character and abihty shall ^
the credentials which entitle a boy to entry, and not the len^h of th
parental purse’

30

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

CHAPTER in

CAMBRIDGE

Joi“f--The romance of mathematics— Under
^aduate li^Fonrth w^gler— A double first— Smiths priieman— Alfred
Maml^— Prudent of the Union— Visits to Oxford— Jo^ Chamberlam—
BOliards for the Umvcraity— A tnp to America— Dr Brooke Herford— An
eclipse of the son in liorwiy — FeDow of Tnmty

The six years that I spent at Truuty College, Cambridge, stand out in my
life as a period of unclouded satisfaction The work I had to do was what
I loved The restraints of childhood had TOne, the responsibilities of
manhood had not begun I had a wide choice of friends, in communion
with whom I was free to explore the foundations of the universe There
were opportunities for ali kmds of recreation — games, hospitality, and
the theatre Behind all was the background of histone tradition embodied
in college buildings and courts, m the sacred grass on which only the Fellows
might tread, in the famous 'Backs', m tienver, in tbentualoi University
life, in the great personalities with whom we were brought mto daily
contact With such a banquet spread out before one, only a psychological
dyspeptic could fail to enjoy the repast

Years afterwards, when I was travelling in Egypt with a dragoman,

I remember discussmg with him the contrasts between bis life and nune
His schooldays had ended before he was zo years old Hme. I told him
had continued at school and at college until 7 was 25 ' ^Vhat a waste,'
was his comment, “to spend so many years preparing for lifel NVhy, you
might have died before you reached the end of your schooldays and then
you would never have tasted life at all I" My view about it was as in-
comprehensible to him as my statement that it was the rotation of the
earth and not the motion of the sun that gave us day and night ' Look,”
said he, pointing to the sun as we stood together at daybreak by the
Sphinx, ‘ you can see him rising "

Mathematics was the prenuer subject at Cambridge Indeed, at one
time, I bebeve, it was necessary for everyone to jiass m mathematics
before he was allowed to devote himself to anything else This had ceased
to be the case when I went ‘up* to Cambridge, but the Mathematical
Tnpos was still regarded as the most imjxirtant way of taking a degree
with honours Those who took it were placed m order of ment m three
clas^, the highest class being the 'wranglers’, and the ambition 0 / every
mathematician was to be the senior wrangler of his jear

In addibon to attending lectures provided by the Univcnily or bv
their own College, students w ho wanted to excel took pnvate lessons with
a ‘coach’, and some of these coaches attamed such a fame that their
pupila came to them from all over the University and were taught in
groups Routh had had a great reputation m the eighties, but he had
retired before I went up (in 38gj}, and his mantle had fallen on Webb of
St John's College To his rooms I used to go accordingly three times a
week, m company with the men from my own and other colleges who vrtre
expected to be high wranglers.

1 can see him now with his bttic black beard, which he used to (w«t

been a prartz''^mjS onoto^otu^^dm"l

further out from the colleges, and brought mUim* *b be much

fneuds residmg a few mtlls away from®&nIhlSi » ™t

^ came mto rogue about thfsS”tSr " fr
vacation going with my sister Ellen tn Ro*+ I remember dunoffa
women daily took thei/exercL on th?„ew S Sy

m their Ciraages to the park and mom?eTth„ ‘‘‘™ <irove

brought there for them byservan” had been

n^g on a separate bicycle behmd them m tS ^ footman

ii^g m Rotten Row r Aleanwhile, my fatme "f’o" h™

matica?Tn^'f'it‘"^®^'j^ M "i^en« fhe Mathe

and 40 altogether I think.

gpeis and I think I did^ m them In t? “'"“'''f ^ W°bW

?<Se^r^d”LTk°

aMhe same time his •Wue-rroX'^mZ’J^tSr^*^

ilostof**- boat awin.f

taken their

34 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

paper of mme on it in the journal* whiii he edited, the Mesunser of

MaihemaUcs Later I contnbuted other papere on it to the Matheoutical

Society

In my fifth year I deaded to branch out in a new direction and attended
the lectures on economics by Alfred Marshall Of all the men with whom
I came m contact at the Umversity none made a greater impression
on me than he, and his lectures were not only illuminating but inspiring
While he insisted that the ‘laws' of economics were statements of fact
like the laws of nature’, and not commands to be obeyed lie Acts of
Parliament, he really cared passionately that a knowle^e of economics
should be appbed to bettering the lot of humanity and in particular of
the underdog He held strong pohdcal views and every now and again
expressed them It was a fascmatmg sight to see the httle man standing
with his back to the wall facmg his class and letting go, with a

twmkle m his eye which suggested that he realized he was perhaps stepping
outside the proper rfile of a Professor of the Umversity I remember m
particular one of his dicta made shortly after the Jameson raid, to the
effect that Mr Joseph Chamberlain was a negative asset to the country
which he assessed at several hundred milhon pounds!

Marshall had himself given to the University a sum of money to provide
from tune to tune a prize, to be known as the Adam Smith prize, for an
original essay on some economic subject, and be stimulated me to enter
for this prize and suggested an investigation mto local variations m wages
X speedily set to work, starting with a number of already published statis<
tics, and following up with a visit to different parts of the country mter*
viewing trade union secretanes, employers and others I bad be^ rather
doubts about the reception I should get and agreeably surprised at
the friendliness shown to me and the trouble that was taken to answer
my somewhat academic questions When I came to wnte down my
results I used a number of graphs m a slightly new way in order to bring
home to the reader at a gl^ce the totality of the facts Inadentally X
was able to demonstrate that wages tended to vary with the size of the
towns^ My essay won the pnze and was subsequently published fiy fbc
London School of Economics

V^en I first went up to Cambndge I jomed the 'Umon', the
Umversity dub and debating society, and, as an unde^raduate, I
took an occasional part m the discu^ons I remember that on one
occasion the reporter said that I spoke 'm contemptuous footnotes’ and
on another referred to me as one of three 'fierce individualists' who wound
up the evening Egged on by zny friend A Y C Campbell, afterwards a
promment member of the Indian Civil Service. I determined to stand for
ofiice In the election for secretary 1 probably got the votes of most of
the Tnmty men and also those of old Etonians from all over the Unner
sity. and as a consequence 1 secured the position In accordance with
usud practice, I was elected Vice President next term, which made me
the manager of the dub, and I became President the term after X had
imagined it would be rather bonng to have to sit and listen nght through
all the speeches, but I found the fact that tho speakers were address-
ing their words to the ’Chair’ kept my interest throughout One of the
spe<^ visitors to the Union during my penod m oQice was the actor.

Sir Squire Bancroft, who attracted a full house

CAMBRIDGE

35

At Oxford there is also a Union debating soaety. and the two bodies
are interrelated by the rule that membership of the one carries honorary
membership of the other While I held offioal position in the Cambridge
Union I went on several occasions to visit the Oxford IJmon, of which
F W Hirst was President, having succeeded John Simon m the chair I
remember in particular a debate on the proposal to allow women to be-
come full members of the Universities and obtam degrees, which after
some hesitation I had deaded to support There were the usual jokes
'Where all was perfect there could be no question of degree ‘ *A woman
could reach a higher position in Cambridge a man. for whereas he
could be senior wrangler she could be "above the semor wrangler" ' — this
had actually happened in the case of PluJippa Fawcett Then Hihirc
Belloc got up He descnbed m most moving language a picture he had
seen of a nurse loolong down with mfimte tenderness on a wounded soldier
The moral he quite mconsequently drew was that if women were
allowed to cultivate their mteliecti^ faculties they would lose their
womanliness I forget which way the voting went, but of course, m any
case, the real decision did not rest with us

As President of the Umon it was my privilege to represent the Univer-
sity elsewhere on many occasions 1 remember gomg with Hirst to
Birmingham to a centenary dinner of the Goldsmitl^ and being taken to
lunch next day with Joseph Chamberlam at his house in Highbury The
great man ^owed me his orchid house from which each day a blossom
was picked for his buttonhole and he was most gemai to us both I
met there also his son Austen, himself a Cambndge graduate, who was
already looking forward to following bis father m politics, but Neville
I did not meet, as he had been cast for a business career, and was, 1
believe, at the tune m America

1 al^ w^nt to Glasgow for the 450tb anniversary of the foundation of
that Umversity and was presented to Lord Kelvin I was told afterwards
an amusing story about him earlier in hfe when, as plain William
Thomson, he went up to London to receive his knighthood Thomson was
a bnUiant mathematician and scientist, but a poor lecturer, and, during
his absence, bis place was taken much more successfully by his assistant.
Mr Day Shortly before his return a wag among his students wrote up
on the blackboard "Work while we have Day for the Knight cometh
when no man can work*'

I played billiards for Cambndge Umversity against Oxford and with
my colleague won the event I won the quarter mile at Fenners' m the
sportsof Third Trmity and King’s • Forother recreation I played football
(Association) and laiyn tennis whenever I could get the opportumty, and
racquets occasionally The game of bridge had not be^ mvented but
We used to play whist on Saturday evenings During the Lent term
m 1895 the Cam was frozen over for several weeks, and more th^ once
I skated on it all the way from Canibn«^e to Ely and back on the special
flat skates called fen runners

One of the visitors to Cambridge who came to speak to us under-
graduates about wtw.t was going on m the outside world was Percy Alden

• The old Eton Weslmiaiter boy» la Tnnjty

, “ijy College (arm a group of their own

known as 'Third Tnnity' for rowmg and football. Third Trinity loins with Km?**

for al^Uc sports. ® s^nege

3^ FATbHASBEENKIND

warden of the Mansfield House University Settlement m Cannmg
Town He succeeded m rousing my social conscience, and persuaded me
to come and visit the settlement I went more than once I spoke at
the P S /V. I brought down a concert party and myself gave a musical
sketch What I saw about the settlement I hked It breathed a real
spirit of fraternity and there was no trace of sectarian religionism Alden
and I became close friends and I promised him my active support
Meanwhile, at Cambridge I had jomed the Nonconformist Union, and
had been a regular attendant at its Sunday evening meetings I read
papers there myseU on Evolution, the Theory of Punishment the Treat-
ment of Animals, and Gambtmg I repeated the last at the Livmgstone
boaety in Oxford and became the guest of Mansfield College, the parent
body of the Mansfield House Settlement The Principal was the sturdy
Scot, Dr Fairbaim, who exercised a great influence on the men of his
college, who were all studying for the Congregational ministry In the
adjoining grounds was Manchester College, the Urtitanan foundation, at
the head of which was the spintually mmded Dr Edward Carpenter
My Special association with this college I will tell m a later chapter

As a boy, I had accepted without question most of the teaching of
my elders about rehgion as part of the knowledge possessed by grown-ups
It was not till I was at Cambndge that lexammed cntically the whole basis
of belief and found to my surprise bow different it was in character from that
underlying other subjects in which 1 was instructed Many of my friends
at Cambndge had reached the same stage m their development, and long
were the discussions which we had together, m our rooms or walking round
and round the Courts far on into the night In one of the vacations 1
went and talked it all over with Dr Brooke Herford, a venerable Unitarian
divine, who had for many years had a church m Boston, USA, and was
now installed in Hampstead Naturally he could not solve all ray diffi-
culties. but at least he did not run away from reality and he made me
understand that the search for absolute truth was never likely to be
rewarded with complete success So I began the process which has gone
on all my life of building up my own philosophy, about which I shall hav c
more to wnte before I conclude rny story

It was the same Dr Herford who was my cabin companion m the
summer of 1895 when I went with my sister Annie to visit the United
States Our ship was the Gallta of some 8000 tons, considered a fine
vessel in its day but, according to modem ideas, small for an Atlantic
liner \\c had a pretty severe buffeting on our way across to Boston,
fiut we got there wufiout misfiap iVi faextds

our /amil> and many leading Unitarians to become acquainted with
Emerson the wntcr had not been dead many years, and we slajed with
his daughter in Concord and she took us round the sacred spots In
Chicago I had my first meeting with Jane Addams, of the Hull House
Settlement, who was already plajnDg an active part m the Utcof the city
She told us that her grandfatner bad driven his buggy to Lake Michigan
at a tune when on its shores there were no bouses at all I was most
interested in watching a fair sired house being moved bodily through the
streets from one site to another Our visit included also New \otk,

W ashington and the Tails of Niagara.

On August 9 1S96, occurred an eclipse of the sun. the line of totalitv

ROUVDTHLWORLU J7

|ui>bing through tiic North of Norway Ihc httle hshing vjJiagc of Vad^
v>as chosen by astronomers for the scene of therr operations, a place \vhidi
recently came into the new’s dunng the Ru&so-tinnish War of 1940 I
booked a passage on the N^se Ktng, spcaaUy chartered for a >o>age up
the coast and round the North Cape, and spent a most dchghtfuJ month
A merry ship's company landed in many a charming fjord, and we made
excursions across the mountains m tmy carnages, coming back to the
ship to sleep But the observations of the eclipse were a failui'c, for a
few seconds before totahty a small cloud passed between us and the disc4
of the sun and moon

Every >car Trinity awards a limited number of htllowships to men
of the College who after a successful record of work submit original essays
on some subjects of academic interest The whole body of the Fellows,
together with the Master (a ro>al appointment), form the governing bod>
of the college Fellows ore not bound to reside in the University or take
any part in its activities, but unless they do so their Fellowship is not
likely to be continued bc>ond thconginoj termof six>cars 2 determined
to compete for this greatly coveted honour In 1896 L submitted an
essay on factonzation of numbers. 1 did not succeed In i8t}j I tried
again and sent in two essay's, one on the some subject simplified and
improved, the other on 'Local Variations m Wages with which I had
already won the Adam Smith prize Only two bcUowships were being
awarded that year, but I was fortunate enough to secure one of them, my
colleague being H M Fletcher I thus became a member of a Society
which m Us long history has contained the names of some of the most
famous scholars of their day. and whose tradition it is to esteem a man,
not m accord with the value he puts on himself, but b> the contnbution
he makes to the furtherance of learning and human culture

CHAPTER IV

ROUSO THE WORLD

India before the motor-cir — Faouoe >0 Madras — A qunttoa of Lxclusge — The
Bxahxna*S«siaj — Anotber eclipse of the >ua — jAmabandy— Ce> Iob — \ ustnlui
and ^«ewf Zealand — Qiina^Japan — Fujiyama — V S A — Tbe V ellowstose Park

It had never been my intention to stay up at the University and become
a don Much as 1 loved Cambridge, I had alw'a)'s regarded it as a gateway
to a larger life, and the fact that I hadbeccroeaF^owof Tnnity didoot
alter my view I proceeded to plan a voyage round the world in which
most of m> tune would be spent 10 distant countries which I might not
be able to visit again later, when commitments were bkcly to prevent a
prolonged absence horn home

Several of my college friends had token up work m Indu, mostly as
Dvil Servants, and I had pressmgmvntations to come and stay with them
for as long as I liked. Accordingly, losing no time en roufc, I %-ent straight
to Bombay by P and 0 . and ofl frem there by rail to an up-countrv
station, Nellore, in the Madras Presidency on the East coast, where my

3 ^ fatehasbeenkind

fnend ^mpbell was Assistant Collector I was just settling down to
life in the station', when Campbell was summoned away to take charge
0 f famine relief at Udayagm

It was only 6o miles from Nellore, and nowadays would be covered
comfortably m a motor-car m two or three hours But m 1897 there were
no cars m India Further, there was no railway between the two places
A hoise could not possibly do the journey m less than three or four days,
and there was nowhere to spend the nights unless complete camping
outfit was taken, which would involve great delay A trotting bullock
bandy and a bicycle were the only means of locomotion left Campbell
decided to use them both, starting m the bandy with his bicycle on top
and gettmg out when the heat of the day had passed to try to ride the
rest of the 60 miles to his destination before dusk Failing that, he
hoped to get some accommodation for the night, feeding on biscuits and
soda water and completmg the journey m the early morning Clearly a
visitor would be m the way, so I was left behind

My position was not too easy, for I had to remake my plans, repack
my luggage and start oil on a new journey, while none of Campbell's
servants imderstood a word of English However, the camaradene of the
British in India is such that I had a very pleasant tune . and after waiting
a few days to see whether Campbell was coming back or wanted me to
jom him, I telegraphed to another of my fiiends, W S Adie, the senior
wrangler, and received an assurance of welcome to Mozuffapore, m Bihar,
where he was stationed

I had first to get to Calcutta, and as the East Coast Railway had not
then been built, this meant going down to Madras and then up by sea
2 found a P and O ship lying out m the harbour which had left England
the same day as myself, and getting all my luggage, including my bicycle,
on to a flat-Mttomed surf-boat, consisting of loose planks tied together by
cords, I was rowed out to the stup by a swarthy crew A few days' steam-
mg brought us to the Hooghly nver on which Calcutta lies — a treacherous
stream which is always changing its bed 'All passengers on deck’ was
called out at the danger pomt where a former ship, the and Mary,

had been sunk with pa^ngers trapped below But we encountered no
trouble and arrived safely in port

While m Madras 1 had opened a banking account, depositing pounds
and being credited with rupees at the existing rate of exchange It was
gratifymg to find in Calcutta that the credit of a casual English traveller
was sucli that the branch of the bank there volunteered to cash a
cheque for roe forthwith, accepting my word that I had not drawn it all
out m the meantime Later, when I caine to leave India and closed my
account, I found that the rupees still outstanding were worth more
pounds than when I had put them m I remember puzzluig my head
at the tune to discover at whose expense, if at an>one s, 1 had made this
'profit'. I leave my readers to wotlc it out for themselvcsl

Amved m Mozuffapore I soon fell into the wap of the station, going
to the Court-house in the mornings to hear Adic try cases. bic> cling
round between X2 anda topay 'propnely’callson the ladicsofthcbntish
community, and playing lawn texmu Mid billiards at the club Utcr in
the day. .Mozuffapore is m the middle of the indigo district, and one day
a planter came and earned me away to spend a night with lam at hu farm

ROUNOTUEWORLD 39

and factory. There I found men, women and cluidren working m the
fields for the barest pittance 1 was told that the men earned zo pies
a day, the women 8 and the children 4 or 6 As 12 pies make 1 anna and
16 annas nuke i rupee, this meant that, with the rupee at is 4^ . the
men were earning less than the biblical penny a day, ana the whole family
only twopence or twopencc-ha’pennyl In the New Year I went back to
Calcutta and did the usual sights, mcluduig a ball at Government House
I also engaged a Mussulman traveUing *^y' to look after me and my
luggage during my further travels through India Though called a boy
he was old enough to be my father and gave me devoted service

My family, being Umtanans, had made contact with the Brahma*
Samaj movement m Indu and had entertained its foimder, Keshub
Chimder Sen, on his visit to England The famous Tagore family have all
been active members of this body, which seeks to find a common basi&of
religious thought behind Hinduism and Christianity, and indeed behind
all spintual reUgion under whatever name it is known Accordingly, m
Calcutta I went to see one of its leadmg pcrsonahtics Mr Miuoomdar
We talked together and then he took me to his club of university men
I told them about life at Cambndge and they responded with an account
of what they were doing I was not allowed to depart before 1 had tasted
a great number of Indian sweetmeats, while they sat round wntching my
face as 1 ate them . and they then insisted on gaxl^ding me with fiower^
a very pretty custom, but rather embarrassuig to a somewhat shy and
conventional young ^glishman !

■On January 22. 1898, there was an eclipse of the sun, and the hne of
to^ty passed right across India Ever since I bad been disappointed
in Vad^ m x8g6 , 1 had looked forward to the Indian eclipse, and learning
that my fnend Campbell was going to Sahdol, not very far from the centre
of India, to take p^ in the oh^vations, 1 decided to ^om him there
Immediately after the eclipse I wrote home an account of it to my fnends
ui a letter from which I give below the salient extracts

“There were two parties m the Astronomical camp at Sahdol ,
first the English party consisting of the Astronomer Royal (Christie),
Turner and others, and secondly the Madras party, with Slic^e Smith,
the Government Astronomer, as chief, and several others among
whom Campbell was one It was this party which I joined, and as
soon as 1 was mtroduced to Michie Si^th he said he would hke to
make use of me during the eclipse as he was rather short of hands
'During the days which elapsed before the eclipse, we hved a
rough-and-tumble sort of life, sleeping m our tents at night under a
great pile of blankets, for it was very cold, and wearing thm clothes
during the day because of the great heat The place where we were
encamped was m a clearing which bad been made nght m the middle
of the jungle , one day a man brought home a tiger which he sjiot
less than two miles horn the camp]

"We saw something of Cbnstie and Turner, their instruments
were speaal echpse instruments, and were similar to the ones I ha d
seen in Norway the summer before Our mstruments, on the
other hand, were all general observatory mstruments and bad to be
adapted for echpse work

40

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

“M. Smith himself used a heliostat which was erected on a mound
he had had made, some 15 feet high, which went by the name of
Mount Sahdol’ in the camp. The heliostat reflected the sun down a
4o-/oot tube asid so by means of lenses to an image on a photographic
plate. M. Smith and several of the party worked at this; and Campbell
was put iri charge of another instrument with myself to assist him.

“This instrument consisted of an ordinary equatorial telescope,
with an apparatus (at the end, where the eye would usually be placed)
for photographic plates. It was Campbell's business to turn the case
for the plates round, and call out to me the times 0/ exposure, while
I stood on a couple of packing>cases, and did the exposures fay tal^g
off and on my straw hat I

“Du^g the days before the ccUpse I was given a good many
calculations to do, and worked out, from formulae, the times of ist,
2nd, 3rd. and 4th contacts, i.e. the times of commencement of eclipse,
commencement of totality, end of totality, and end of eclipse. These
times seem to have been verified pretty closely by observation, but
they could not be very accurate, as we were not quite certain of our
longitude. The totality lasted about. 103 seconds; and the whole
eclipse began about oh. 13m. gs. and ended 3b. im. 46s. local time.

“The last day before the eclipse we had several practices of the
work we had to do. We found that we had just nice time to get
through ten exposures of varying length during the 103 seconds; and
during the longer exposures I should have time to look at the eclipse.

“Saturday all was ready ; and at about the calctilated time the echpse
began in a cloudless sky. During the partial phase I noticed several
things th^ exact opposite of what I saw in Norway: in the first place
whereas t/tere the light seemed to remain about the same to within
a minute or two of totality and then to get rapidly darker, here the
light seemed to get gradually less all the way through; secondly,
whereas there the horns of the solar crescent were particularly pointed
I noted here that they appeared cut off— no doubt an optical eflect.

"It is getting darker, only a few seconds remain to totality.

" ‘There's VenusJ' cries M. Smith.

“ 'There's the Corona.’

” ‘Our work begins.’

“ ‘It's all over and it's getting light again.'

“What have we seen? In the first place let me say that our work
somewhat interfered with our appreciation of the phenomenon ^ a
whole; but though this had to be borne m mmtf f am compefled to
admit (and I know I am open to the charge of want of artistic sense
in saying it) I was disappointed! I think that was probably because
I had been led to expect so much. This feeling of mine was shared by
a good many of those observers who were seeing an eclipse for the first

"To begin with, it never got really very dark. I do not think it
was as dark even as tntalitv ig Nor way; in the Second place there was
no shadow to be hardly any colour

elTects. ^S7 ....

"Having said^thisf I have^rdbAly 55U(jU^much. - We saw the
Corona, wc sa^^^^sfSbMjpr^igenee, ana ^.saw Venus and, I

ROUND tllE WOULD 4!

think, Mars and J^fercury The Corona itself is somewhat less tangible
or re^ than one is led to imagine, and looks really much more like
the eatendmg rays of the sun wbi^ one sometimes sees m England
"Its colour was a sort of milky white, and objects on the earth were
a dull slate colour The horizon, or parts of it, appeared to be bright
all through the phenomenon, but some people saw cloudlike shadows
on distant hills "

After seemg the eclipse of the sun, I visited the famous sites of India —
Benares, Luclmow, Delhi and Agra My visit to Delhi was spoilt by the
ram, but the grandeur of Benares greatly impressed me and I was spell*
bound before the majestic beauty of the Taj at Agra I went up to stay
a week with afnend at Roorkee, and while I was there aletter reached me
whose envelope addressed simply to F W Lawrence, Madras', bore a
score of postmarks, and after following me all over India had at last
caught me up It came from Moradabad, some 100 miles only from
Roorkee, and mvited me to pay the writer a visit there I went for the
week-end, and found my old friend H S Rix, now a collector He told
me moving stones of what be had had to do during a visitation of plague
in his distnct, and as if to illustrate his descnption, an Indian woman came
m with a child durmg the narrative, and both, fallmg on the ground, clasped
his knees, calling him 'their father and their mother , and expressed their
gratitude for what he had done

From there I went down to Bombay, and taking an Indian coastal
steamer reached Mangalore m South Canara, where 1 was to spend a
month with my fnend Percy A Booty But I was no sooner there than
he iook me mto 'camp', as he had to do 'Jamabandy', which I soon found
out meant a local inspection of the collection of revenue Perhaps the
following paragraphs, wntten at the time m descnption of campmg m
India, as it was before the coming of the motor car, may be of mtercst
today

“A man is 'out m camp’ whenever he is away from his head-
quarters, whether he is stopping at a friend’s bungalow, in a 'traveller’s
bungalow', or actually under canvas Now get out of your head all
such things as hotels, inns, restaurants, and general shops and you
will see that it is necessary to cany your whole house about with you
If you can avoid it you do not travel in the middle of the day,
so that marches are of two kinds — morning marches and evening
marches

‘Booty IS to do 'Jamabandy in the Udipi taluk (a taluk is some-
thing like a coimty) So after breakfast fais boy and his cook start off
with one bullock bandy (covered cart) containmg tnier aha beds and
bedding, table and chairs, cooking utensils and most of the European
stores, to go to Kota about seven miles off After tea Percy and I
dnve there m a dog cart, and a little later we dine, play picquet and
go to bed In the meantime my boy and Booty s Peons amve with
the test of the things m another cat*« *>

"After dinner cook and boy start on agam^eight miles to B

crossmg a ferry on the way and Booty and I-pr(Jceed in the mominp
in the dog cart, and stay there all day The next-march is to be if

42

FATE UAS BEEN KIND

miles into Purdur, where is the first centre for Jamabandy We settle
to dnve first half, and nde, Pcrqr on horse, self on bike, the second
half We make an early start and at the end of seven miles find
Booty’s horse and my bicycle awaitmg us, and so we nde together till
within two or three miles of Purdur, and then 1 deterinme to nde on
ahead to get my bath before Booty turns up So I go on, and at the
end of another mile I notice a man on m front with a hom, and I
gradually become aware that he is making a point of keepmg m front
of me, every now and then he turns round, sees me and hastens on
blowing the hom

“At last I pass him and come upon a conclave of villagers holding
up a triumphal arch for me to pass under, the Tasseldar isat their head,
all respectfully salaam, the tom-tom beats, the native musicians play
their strange harmomes , and so, with every sign of reverent appreciation
accompanymg me, I pass onwards to the bungalow dad m blue
cydmg shorts and socfe, a flannel shirt and a topi ’’

I thought at first that they mistook me for the collector, but after-
wards I realized that, as the collector’s guest, I was no doubt, in their
view, equally an object of respectful welcome I am afraid that as a raw
visitor I only saw it as hugely funny, and failed completely even by
gesture to make any 'gracious' recogmtion

After spending a monJi altogeUer with Booty m South Canara, on
the West coast. I crossed India again, to finish my broken visit to Campbell
in Nellore He described to me bis work on famine relief, and 1 gave him
an account of my joumeyuigs m India smce we had met at the edipse at
Sahdol Geographically I had seen a great deal more of India than he
had,*or indeed tnan most Englishmen do who spend their whole hves m
the countiy But my knowledge was nearly all second-hand and my
impressions were mostly superficial They are certainly not worth re-
cording here Thirty years were to pass before I visited India again, and
five more before, as a member of the Round Table Conference, I was
brought into contact withmanyleadingpersonahtiesin Indianlife When
I come to give an account of these penods of my life I will venture a few
tentative opimons on the problems of that country and her many
peoples

With my second visit to Campbell my Indian travels came, m effect,
to an end I went down from Nellore to Madras and, after stoppmg two
nights with Michie Smith, the astronomer, I joumeyed on to Tuticonn
aiTvf .tsjOT Annk Jwiat -to £nUiinJvi Jthp nf C^^vlna A Abort tram
nde brought me up to the famous botanical gardens at Reredeniya, where
I was to stay with the director, an old Cambndge man His other guest
was a boat companion of nune who had come out to mvestigate the
possibihty of tapping mdiarubber trees for their rubber m a way that
would not kill tbp trees, as had been the case until then I was shown
the giant bamboos m the Gardens — a foot m diameter and 300 feet
high — and paid a visit to Kandy, where I saw the anaent Buddhist relics
From there I returned to Colombo and went aboard a ship boimd for
Australia My fnend, Percy Alden, had come out on it to share the next
stage of my travels with me

KOUNDT II EWORLD ^3

There was m those days no Commonwealth of Australia Each of the
States was a separate ‘Colon}^’, bound only to the mother country, but
federation was already in the air, and a scheme for bringing it about was
under discussion Dunng our stay we attended political meetings where
the pros and cons were debated 'l^at particular sdicme was subsequently
defeated in a referendum, and it was not until a year or two later that the
present constitution of the Commonwealth was put forward and accepted
Our tune m Austraha was bnef Wc visited the State capitals, spent a
week-end in the Blue Mountains, went down a gold-mine at BiUlaxat,
paid a visit to a sheep-station and were duly impressed by the marvellous
harbour of Sydney

We also ran across to the North Island of New Zealand — a four days’
voyage each way, but we undertook it as lightheartcdly as one would
cross the English Channel for a ten days' visit to Pans In New Zealand
the most memorable cxpenence was the long coach dnve through the
region of geysers and hot springs Apart from the strangeness of seeing
the gushing fountains of boilmg water, the sheer beauty of the coloured
pools — blue, green, purple, champagne — impressed itself on my nund It
was sad to think that the world-famous 'terraces* had only a few years
before been swept away For the rest, we visited Wellmgton, Napier and
Auckland, learnt somethmg of New Zealand politics, and made the
acquaintance of the dignified &(aon people

We recrossed the equator m a Japanese boat, the Omt Maru Travel-
ling slowly mside the 'bamer reef', we had called at Thursday Island and
TovmsviUe and should have put m at ilaiulla m the Phihppines, but for
the Spamsh-Amencan War All we saw of the war, if it can be called
'seeing', was that, though we passed by in the dark, there was no bght at
ManilJU We reached Hong Kong at dawn and were at once struck by
the narrow frontage of the land which lies betw'een the hills and the sea
After breakfast we started walking j^ut the town, but it was the height
of the summer and, after struggling for some time to keep up, 1 subsided,
very hot and sticky, into a chair earned by coohes That evening we took
the mght steamer up the nver to Canton

Wakmg early, 1 looked out The water was ahve with little boats and,
as I watched, tiny heads came bobbing up through mmute hatches, and
I discovered that each boat was the home of a family I wras told, later,
that the nver population at Canton alone ran into hundreds of thousands
Presently a great ship came by whose paddle-wheels were turned by an
army of Chinese, treadmg a revolving staircase and singing a diige-like
chanty We went ashore and were t^en by a guide through the aty
The streets were only a few feet across and were often covered m at the
top with matting, to keep out the heat of the sun Lxmchmg on the fifth
storey of a pagoda and looking down, I could see nothing but a solid
of houses, and 1 estimated that some 2.000,000 people were occupying a
space not larger than our aty of Derby

There were endless sights of mterest, but the most fascinating to me
was the Exaimnation 'H^', an open space containmg several thousands
of cells m which candidates for high office were literally bncked m for
sev eral days while they wrote their ^esis in competition with their fellows

■44 fatekasbeenkind

While I was there, a contest in archery was taking place as part of the
examination for nuhtary mandarins Two by two the students in gor-
geous robes came forward upon the dais to shoot their three arrows
After mspecting a pawnbroker’s shop which ran up 12 or 13 storeys
mto the sky, we returned to our boat and were back again at Hong
Kong next mommg

We spenneveral days explonng the city and talkmg with people who
knew Chma well We went up to the 'Peak' to lunch with friends But
perhaps the most interesting thmg we did while there was to visit a Chinese
theatre where the actors, all men who live their whole life on the precincts,
performed a play m which a young lady falls m love with her brother's
tutor We were told that the dialogue was m the mandarin language and
not in the vernacular, but that the audience were so well versed in the
plot that the actmg without the words would suffice for them After a
week in Hong Kong we went up to Shanghai, where Onent and Occident
jostle one another all the tune On the road leadmg to the foreigners’
recreation ground were to be seen Chmese ladies driving m open victorias,
men in dog carts and on bicycles, foreigners being ptdled along m nclr
shaws, and Chinese ridmgin wheelbarrows, the cheapest form of transport
m the aty

A missionary guided us through many of the streets In one of them
we heard a plaint of weeping Drawing near we saw a hre and people
sitting round it a httle paper bouse was being consigned to the flames,
then large quantities of paper discs made to mutate silver and copper
coins, finally a real suit of clothes “There has been a death here,” said
our guide, ‘ and these things are for the use of the dead man “ Later he
took us to the willow patteni tea-house Eveiything was there exactly
as It is depicted on our chma plates We crossed the litUe bndgeand almost
had to pinch ourselves to make certain we were not dreamm^ We went
into the house and ordered tea We were evidently the object of some
comment, but our fnend did not divulge that he knew Chinese until the
proprietor tried to overcharge us, and then he quoted a Chmese proverb ~
Tt IS good to skm the foreigner' This brought mstont recognition and
friendly talk and we were introduced as ’two scholars from ^gland’

Our visit to China was far too short for my liking, but the hasty im-
pression I formed was most favourable 1 admired the refined faces of
the men, their golden complexion and their black glossy hair I admired
what I was told an all hands of the honesty of the Chinese merchants
Above all, I was earned away by the beauty of their art. I discovered in
mysihi lot \be Vniit cm atsVVAVic jassAvr.gs, •sA

nature — bills and trees, birds and marshes, mists and sunshme The
Chmese artists seemed to me to have succeeded, where so many ^Vesterners
fail, in revealing the life spint wrhich lies behind the external form

We left Shanghai with regrets and. crossing the narrow ocean, entered
Japan by way of Ivagasaki and the Inland Sro I wfas entranced by the
prcttincss of everything— the hills, the little nee fields, the temples, the
streets of the towns, with the roofs of their cottages nestling m among
the trees As to the people, they seemed to have climbed down out of
a picture-book The children m particular looked like httic doUs in thrir

ROUND THE WORLD 45

bnlliant-coloured dresses and theu" hair cut ui circular fashion round their
heads Even the coaling of the ship was done by little women m clean
and neat clothes, carrying tiny baskets of coal perched on their heads,
with, their elaborately dressed hair tied up below in loose handkerchiefs

Japan, as I saw it nearly five-and-forty years ago, still retained a great
deal of its anaent life It was only jo years since an Amencan warship
had broken in on its onental seclusion and opened it up to Western ideas
Only a few Japanese, mostly men, were wearmg European dress, and then
only m part A 'billycock' hat and foreign shoes went oddly with a
Japanese vest and kimono and thick wlute socks But great factones
had already come into existence m which were reproduced many of the
horrors of factory life as they were known m England in the middle of
last century

Of these we learnt from a Trade Unionist fnend of Percy Alden’s when
we got to Tokio But first we devoted ourselves to the sights of Japan
We stayed several days at Kyoto, and visited one of the great temples,
vast m its proportions, with its exquisite curved roof resting upon huge
columns of unvarnished cedar, said to have been dragged mto position
with ropes of human hair We saw the great benign image of Buddha
known as the Daihatsu We travelled to Biwa Lake and came back by
the canal which tunnels under a mountain, and were told that this en-
guieenng feat had been planned by a student still at college, and that it
served tne tnple purpose of imgating the fields, conveying cargo, and
illuminatmg the city

At Nagoya we climbed to the top of a Shogun's castle and looking
down on the city saw a parade ground with troops dniling Enquiring
about this 1 asked the size of the Japanese Army I received a reply which
1 wrote home Here it is “400,000 strong and our navy is of 300,000
tons, in SIX years' tune we shall be ready to fight the Russians and we
shall beat them “ That was in August 1898 Punctual to the forecast
the Russo-Japanese War began m 1904 and ended in a victory for Japan.

We had expressed a wish to dimb to the top of Fujiyama, the 'peer-
less' mountain which figures in every Japanese picture But Takagaki,
our guide, advised against it, telling us that the going for the last few
thousand feet of the climb was most unpleasant We took his advice,
and, instead, walked across neighbouring hills, from which we had an
exceptionally fine view of the great cone nsing its 12,000 feet from the
lowland plam Once later I saw Fujiyama again m its full magnificence
It was at sunset m Tokio, 70 miles away, and yet there was the noble
mountain — its summit high above the horizon — towenng up mto the
sky No wonder that it has been the object of veneration and worship
to the Japanese people from time unmemonal '

Another sacred mountain lies cJose to the Lake of Chusenji We
climbed there m the company of a great band of pilgrims who had cofoe
from all over Japan A few of them were on horseback, attended by girl
grooms, but most of them were on foot They all wore a white kimono
white stockmgs and a rude straw hat, and they earned a great piece of
straw mattmg, which served m the to protect their back from the
sun, and at night as a bed to he on We did not go to the summit our
selves, but we were told that, when the pilgrims got there, they would
watch the nsmg of the sun, and then offer up prayers for th^seives and

46 fatehasbeenkind

th^ village Their kimono would then be specially stamped by the
priest, and they would return to the place whence they came We fdt
as if we were.takmg part m a scene from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

One mght we went to the 'Maple Club' to dinner and mvited Takagaki
to come with us We had a whole room to ourselves, and the meal was
served by five little Japanese damsels who sat on the groimd facmg us
We had to learn how to sit, how to eat and how to dnnk m Japanese
fashion The meal went on for hours and we were entertamed with music,
songs and dances by other Japanese maidens Takagaki told us that
they were all daughters of high-class merchants who were leammg the
art of entertaimng, so as to be ready to please their future husband when
distinguished guests were brought to the house

Tokio itself we thought a most lovely city and we agreed with the
Japanese proverb that no one should say that they have seen ‘Hdco’
(the beautiful) until they have seen Ne^o (the ancient name of the
aty) Though it had only about the same population as Canton it spread
over an area many times as great, and when we climbed to a httle emi
nence and looked down on the aty we could see no houses at all but only
trees and gardens Most exquisite of all was the temple, the bunal-place
of a Shogun, the faultless outlme and gorgeous lacquer of which were only
matched by the stately avenues of cryptomanas m the enclosure in which
it stood

I should Uke to be able to end the tale there, but smcenty forbids
Unhappily there was a seamy side to this supeifia^y idyllic hfe of Japan,
and we were told a great deal about it by Percy’s fnends m Tolao and
elsewhere We learnt of the ruthless exploitation of the workers parti-
cular^ of the girls m the newly started factones whose hves were drained
of youth and hope in a few short years of gnnding labour and poverty
We were confronted with unpleasant factsofcruelty andoppression, which,
equally with the happmess and beauty, went to make up the whole hfe
of the nation A pronunent statesman spoke to me of the ease with which
Japan could throw an army of 100,000 men mto China. The intervening
years have shown these tendenaes fulfilling themselves m the domestic
and impenal life of Japan

We travelled from Yokohama, via dehghtful Honolulu, to San Fran-
cisco, still quite a young aty with many old wooden shanties m the roaiq
streets leaning up agamst modem sl^scrapers After a bnef stay we
burned off to visit the Yoseimte Valley and the giant trees of Manposa
Grove, both marvels of sheer magnitude in striking contrast to the pretty
miniature landscape of the garden country from which we had just come
We now had to separate, as my fnend could not be away longer from his
work m East London But ray SBter Annie haff arranged to jom me in
Lake City and go with me to the Yellowstone Park I remember
that when I went to the bank to draw out the necessary cash for the
tnp. It was all handed out to me m twenty-doUar gold pcccs, the sue
of sUver dollars, but much hcavicrl Paper money uas almost unknown
on the Faofic coast at that tune

I shall not attempt to describe the wonders of the Yellowstone For
five days we were driving through the park seeing the geysers of all sues.

- COURTSHIP 47

shapes and penods, and adnunng the indesccnt pools One geyser, the
giantess, shot up 250 feet into the air at long mtcP.'als, another little
fellow went oS qmck-ahot-bang eveiy two minutes At one of the hotels
where we stayed the clerk said to us on our arrival ‘ The bears come down
‘at SIX and the geyser will play at eight" — for the park is an animal
sanctuary as well as a region of hot springs We got almost weary at last
of the wonders and I wrote home irreverently a parody of the famous
‘rabbit grace'

Geysen lotty geysers low.

Geysers rapid geysers slow,

Geysers gentle geysers rough
We thank the Loid we vs had enough

But they left an mdelible impression on my mmd

After that I took my sister back to San Francisco and we explored
Cahfonua and travelled across the continent by the Southern Pacihc
Avoidmg New Orleans, because of an epidemic of jelJow fever, we went
north to Washmgton and revisited our friends m the Eastern States with
whom We had stayed a few years before Niagara m snow seemed to me
even more imposing than at the height of the summer New Year's Day
(1899) foimd us on board an Atlantic Imer bound for home My wander-
year was over and with it ended my long period of preparation for hfe
To what purpose should 1 devote it?

CHAPTER V

COURTSHIP

CondibOD of the people — Ma&sfield Hoose'— Caiopbell Buneniun — Uoioaut
coadidate— Love at hrst sight — Sister Emmie — The Boer War — A visit to
South Afnca— OUve Schr^er — Searchuigs of heart — ^The cooceatiatioo
camps — ^An essay oa housing — Punkin professor

During the last quarter of the nmeteenth century wealth had multiphed
enormously in the British Isles Mass production as we know it today
had scarcely begun, but large scale competitive mdustry workmg at
feverish pressure was turuing out an ever mcreasing stream of commod-
ities This wealth was abominably distributed A few 'captams of m-
dustiy’ made great fortunes Many more of the upper imddle flag; haij
mcomes which enabled them to h>e m comfort m town and country
houses and to travel 'on the Contment' But at least a tlurd* of the
people lived miserably They worked long hours Their food, even when
suffiaent. was monotonous and of poor quality Their clothes uere
generally ill fitting and, from long use, threadbare and dirty Their
houses were m mean streets, badly built, and frequently verminous
Their only rest-da>‘s were Sundays, Christmas, and the four annual bank
holidaj’s — ‘Feasts of St Lubbock' as they were called after their founder
Hobdays away from home were quite unknown. Worst of all, they had

* Cha&. Booth s L%fe tabcTir of th* PtopU, VoL IX, p 433

4® fatehasbeenkind

no security Accident, sickness or a spell of unemployment plunged them
mto dire poverty and debt Old age broke up their homes, and husbands
and wives, who had up to then fulfilled Iheir mamage vows to chensh
one another, found that the workhouse anticipated death in tearmg them
apart >

There were just a few people who regarded this state of affairs as
intolerable They were drawn from all sections of society The bulk of
the workers were too submerged to be able to act, or even to think, m-
dependently But there were men of vision among them who made a
gallant effort, by organizing their fellows mdustnally, to hew a way out
for them from their degradation Leadmg names were those of Ben
Tillett, John Bums, George Barnes, Will Crooks, Bob Smilhe and Keir
Hardie Outside the ranks of the workers there were TTyn Hman , William
Moms, the artist, and others, who looked to a soaahst revolution to put
thmgs right, there were rehgious teachers, like Canon Barnett and Hugh
Pnce Hughes, who sought a Christian solution, there were University
men like Arnold Toynbee, and social reformers like Beatnce Potter
(afterwards Mrs Sidney Webb), who went among the workmg people as
individuals, and there was Charles Booth, who organized and published
a saentific and human study of the facts, under the title, Ltfe and Labour
of the People

These men and women, all of whom were m deadly earnest, succeeded
in arousing a large amount of pubhc mterest, and the Press began to take
notice V^en the East London dockers struck for a 'tanner an hour', it
was largely pubhc sympathy that won their victory for them Toynbee
Hall was founded m East London to be a centre of contact between the
classes, and other University settlements sprang up m many parts of
Inndoo and the country To take an ‘mterest m the poor’ even became
fashionable, and to ‘go slumming’ was the latest craze of the leisured
class

Until I came under the uifluence of Professor Marshall and Percy
Alden I had never womed very much about these problems As a
Liberal, I wanted greater freedom and wider opportunities of hfe for every-
one. but in the mam I accepted the comfortable view that people tended
to find their own level, that the best men generally got to the top, that
there had been immense improvements since the hungry forties’, and that,
with increasing production, comforts and even luxunes would permeate
down to ^ strata of society Marshall stimulated my brain to ascertam
the facts Alden forced me to face them and, if I could, to justify them

Ji iiad hfifin ea^v m the academic atmos.phere of Cambndge to regard
the structure of soaety as natural, and the vanations m mcomes as
a stimulus to effort, but even on my first visit to Canning Town I found
some difllculty in explaining to a little knot of thoughtful worUng men
just why I and my associates should be able to have all the opportunities
which they and theirs were demed Like Ahce trying to repeat her nursery
poems to the caterpillar, somehow the words seemed to come out all

Before I went round the world, Percy Alden bad mvited me on my
return to come and live with him and his friends m Cannmg Town, and to
collect mfonnation of the conditions m that area, so as to write a com-
panion volume to Charles Booth's book, which was confined to London

COURTSHIP

I had no time left to organize and cany through

I became Treasurer of the Settlemlnf «T,f“ o^ginal project
finances to this capacity I took charge S thl'^av T‘™
a venture designed to provide for 6d a meht (Went '“dgnig-honsc,
sailors and homeless dockers m the Victona “““““dation for
expenment of sleeping there myself m the “ m I tned the

men s club and presented theii mth a
practlM, which I kept up for many yearn oSvin^i ’ started the
with the w™er of the annual tounm^t I&A ^^Infiition match
court for the recreation of the residents of the Oe^i‘ “™“‘ tennis
Brame Hillyard coming there to give me a giJie ‘ ™™‘ ^ remember

AsIwasrcadingfortheBar.Isometimlssatase ,

Lawyer, and listened to strange tales Peer Man’s

earned the mvitations to the househol^M .

number used to turn up We had cSvSSuon ^ «reetf^^^
such as musical chairs (which soon brok^e ?; '’'fi'eshinents „
musical programme provided by fnS^ a)eoS id'

to entertam us I made the sipn^g’,^? 'Peoah/iim T “
proportion of these 'unculturi? folk at

mnsic aift '*eaied“ w" '5|.e J
notog had the good manners not to rntemm?.?”* to «.i.- "“t End
and whispenngs €*Tupt the ornrst.

and whisperings

■Hie same tiuth was borne m upon me bv is
;nt through the tumstilps mfo ♦C. .“X fbi

went through the turnstiles mto t£ We^t ni.mi,

picture exhibition was given there I mu Pahllc iSif ^’’“s who

groupof visitorsroundmeandpointouUo^ “ ?>■ tasinS ^ free

As a ^e great mterest was shown, bm Setter a

rejomders I had been explammg a “arionajjv r 'araous exhibits
■•But for my part,’ ^d oL of^y'pSJ"? ^ f “a to„y
I shut up like a pricked balloon oSin* hot Andromeda
Ho^ Hunt’s ‘The Tnumph of the iS*"® ‘"'a nude "

that It portrays Joseph and Maiy and^T®'®' ItMiT®*"e passmg
caught by the phantom figures of the iin,?“ ""^ant jif* ^e remembered
of Herod "AU I can say.” said a blS?"fr»llofe’ "fiose W is

aU those are his children he had a »lo hi ? *ed at thifhands

I found human nature very iiniS^[£^e frnnly ^ "“fitted freely ■ if

tancesasamongthesetinwhichIl«,??®«eanir,„

vice took diSerent forms 1 had been thS?® “T new acouain
classes spoken of as if they were aSSo^">®4 to?’ t"* viS id
“‘'Werfan™ fiaar ‘he ’enrmna'
Ifoundtlw'

\ ^'™s, TOd whose names bemeSlv^^^' 5'*'° rack-rented themm
mgs, which m those days were ? Divorce Court proceed-

I began to come mlo “i' Press

had heard denounced as 'affitatnr*' labour leaders whom
Becktoa Road, Will ThomTth J^^?''"^ comer of

a throng of wirkets Ch rfrS? ‘il' Sasworkeis, .

Residence with us before Tdlett had dinner at ti

passionate love of Sd^n St ?,“« P S A He spoke to ns of b
hstenmg to good music On“ vS7f ’ “^i “ “

have a word with AJden about ^ genOe quiet man dropped in f(

wished to befnend I was m acquaintance whom he

dangerous fire brand . Kei?H^|^ ^

Margaiirrto|?e!*thfiMTo?fir^‘*® “.^rrnage of Percy Alden to Dr
Town The ceremony itself Women s Medical Mission m Canning

Pubhc Hall was taken for a ^pJe one, with few guests, but the

m charge of the arranfTomaswP^^T a few days later I was put

any of the men's and wnmti ^ * invited all the people connected with

each On Sing“p

expected I entnisted the el* ^ people might be

planned that the cuests at to some of the women, and I myself

word with Mr and Wpc^aS®^ “ should shake bands and have a

to have q-Smf r^fna^ild h I

refreshments 'SomA many helpers there were for the

less than two heloer^ ^ ^ reahrcd that that was

was physically in^L^lt f The reception began Of course it

mdiwduSly by^h^hSfc ^ and a half for them all to be greeted

more impatient MoS^f waiting outside grew more and

reception^Si^J bere^fenE

-j learnt was yaoiy and was duly penitent a

with «tiU lat- greatest value to me later on when 1

nimbers in the suffragette aStSion
of p?omm%V%rad^^ Mansfield House between a number

was then Sir HePiy Campbell Bannennan, who

rSn7h Party They told ton that they desired

asked Labour m the House of Commons and
whether he could arrange that, m a proportion of constituenaes,
+>iof should be selected as Liberal candidates He said

would much like to see this come about, but he was
e leader of the Liberal Party’, and that he could not impose his
« 7 c,e ^ constituencies I remember tbinlang at the time that this
weak answer But it was at least an honest one and did not
hopes I have no doubt it played an important part m deter-
and Cons^^'ti ^ party of its own, mdependent both of Liberals

T>or+J?^, tradition had been Liberal but, when the split came m the
r Rule, it was only my brother who contmued to

Gkdstone, my three uncl^ fell xn behmd Joseph Chamberlain,
me raoicai, m opposition to the proposal As a boy, devoted to my

COURTSHIP 51

yncle Edwin, 1 naturally accepted his outlook and like him called myself
\ Liberal-Unionist When m 1894 a Coalition Government was fonned of
Conservatives and Liberal-Unionists, Cbamberlam took high office, and
1 scheme of workmen’s compensation and several other progressive mcas-
bres found their way to the Statute Book My uncle had himself secured
a scat m that Parliament for the Tniro-Helston division of Cornwall and
he now proposed to me that I also should stand at the next election as a
Liberal Unionist I was favourably disposed towards a political career,
and I fell in with his suggestion Accordingly I went before the selection
committee of North Lambeth, and was chosen as the candidate for that

constituency

But destmy had quite other plans for me than those of my imde One
afternoon I was told that there was to be an amateur theatneal enter-
tainment that evenmg at the Afansfield Hall which adjomed the men’s
club This was to be provided by some working girls from West-Central
London I was to await ‘Sister Maiy' and 'Sister Emmie’, who were m
charge of the party, at the Residence and take them on to the Hall where
arrangements would have been made for the enterfainment I enquired
who these ‘sisters’ were, but could glean little information I did as I
had been told, but when I arrived at the Hall 1 found that arrangements
had not been made , and 1 had to do the best 1 could in the orcumstances
I also helped m the ivings of the stage, and provided my own coat as a
substitute for a 'property* that was missing As the play was ending, I
(Covered that no provision had been made for the party to have any
refreshments, so I dashed home and improvised a sup^r and served it
myself Then I walked up to the station with Sister Emmie’ and saw
them all off

There was nothing particularly unusual about aU tins externally
But mwar^y I found that something unaccountable had happened to
me It was love at first sight I Erora that moment everythmg seemed
changed All the ordmary routuie 01 my nie went on as before , but it
was merely the foreground to a new expenence which lay behind I
learnt from Percy .Mden that Mary Neal and Emmeline Pethick had been
two of the Sisters of the West London Mission, but that they had separated
from it and set up an mformal settlement of their own, and were
assisted by one or two other men and women Beyond that, I could
ascertam nothing about them Accordingly, I made occasion for two or
three further opportumties of seeing them, and then, fearfiil lest I might
be forestalled by some other suitor with readier access, I procured a special
appomtment on some pretext with ‘Sister Emmie’, called at her flat and
made my proposal

Readers will not expect me to let them mto the secret of all that
passed at that interview, but they will not be surprised to be told that
everything id not pincerf qnite so snnply as an mgennous young man
had pictured to hnnself Emmelme Pethick. as all the world was to come
to know later, was a wonm of deep spintnal feehng She had dedicated
herself to so^ service . Md. white she had no prejudice against marriage
ge saw vnth nneirag jndpirat that nmther she nor her mte COTdd??5
be really happy, if the yoke by wtach they were united chafed m suSI
way as to prevent MHment of the complete personahty of eitter In
particular, she posed the question whether shefa rebel at L2t ^am^

5- FATE HAS BEEN KIND

the existing order, could be a suitable helpmeet for a Membei of Parlia-
ment owing allegiance to one oi the traditional parties

Though it went agamst my immediate suit, my instmct told me that
she was nght, and thenceforward we set out to discover, sometunes
separately and sometimes m concert, whether we had that fund^ental
unity of outlook that would make mamage a source of enrichment to
us both This unusual quest may bring a smile to some of my readers
but we were two young people who took life senously We could not then
foresee the many strange paths into which hfe would afterwards lead us,
but looking back today I realize how gnevous would have been the
strain on our relationship if this essential unity between us had not
existed

Among other things which t investigated was the whole question of
the Boer War, which was then raging m South Africa Many years before,
a section of the Boer people, disliking Bntish domination, had trekked
into the mtenor and at the Battle of Majuba had won a victory over
Bntish troops Mr Gladstone had agreed to a compromise peace, which
left the Transvaal Repubhc and, the Orange Free State outside Bntwh
control For a time each race had hved its own hfe and pursued its own
avihzation But the discovery of the nch goldfields of the Rand had
brought Bntish and Boer agam into direct contact The Jameson Raid
had mflamed passions, and the long correspondence between Joseph
Chamberlam and Paul Kruger, President of the Transvaal Republic,
had ended in war

Three separate questions I had to answer to myself First# was the
war an issue of sufficient importance to obbge me to form an opinion
upon it ^ As a would be fif P , I could only answer Yes Secondly, «as
the Bntish case a good one > I spent labonous days and nights reading
the Blue Book, and came to the conclusion that it was not Thirdly,
could I, holdmg this view, remain a candidate supporfmg the Govern-
ment ’ I decided that it was impossible I told my uncle of my decision
and he, cancelling m a hurry a visit to his constituency, came and dis
cussed it all with me He suggested that I had read the Blue Book like
a mathematical treatise without fully appreciating the underlymg human
reahties The upshot was that I went out at his suggestion to South
Africa to see the situation for myself

The Cape Colony, as I found it, was in a very delicate position There
was a violent cleavage of opinion about the war Naturally it was largely
on raaal Jmes But there were exceptions John X Merriman, the
Englishman, opposed the British action Some Dutchmen laid the prin-
cipal blame on the obstinacy of Paul Kruger There were divisions c\ cn
inside famihes W P Schreiner, though disagreemg with Chamberlain’s
policy, had considered it bis duty, as Prime Mmister of a British Colony,
to allow British troops free passage through Cape territory His sister
Ohve, the famous writer, was a passionate opponent of the war and was
deeply gneved at her brother's action Feelings in the Colony ran so
high that It seemed at one time that avil war might break out

i interviewed statesmen, editors of newspapers, and mmistcrs of
religion I mingled with exiles from the Rand I Icamt a number of
facU a^ut the various races— Bnti^ Dutch, Kaffirs and coloured people,
and about tbcir relations wth one another I found that many of the

COURTSHIP

53

‘reasons’ for the war, put forward at home, were not taken very senously
in South Africa Though 'Oom Paul' was undoubtedly an obstinate old
man who had no intention of lettmg the Rand romeowners have it all
their own way, the idea that the Intlanders were an oppressed people
was a myth Ill-treatment of the natives was not confined to one white
race, and liberal opinion, both British and Dutch in the Cape Colony and
elsewhere, was opposed to it

The one justification for the war, if it could be so called, was that, as
between Bntish and Boer, one race had got to be 'top dog’, and that the
sooner it could be settled which it was to be, the sooner would South
Africa be able to get on with its own development under one flag, speaking
one language and adhenng to one cwihzaUon Even i£ true, this hardly
seemed a sufficient excuse for plunging a subcontment into an mtemeeme
struggle But there was considerable evidence, 6ven then, that it was
false In the Cape, before the war, Bntish and Dutch were intermarrying ,
the English language was supplantmg the ‘Taal’, and liberal ideas were
gaming ground Other parts of South Afnca were moving in a similar
direction In the Transvaal itself there were many Boers who were
opposed to the conservative ideas of Paul Kruger, and he was an old
man who was not likely to remam long an obstacle to change The
war was reversmg all these tendencies T^ay is there anyone who knows
South Afnca who will mamtam that the Boer War settled the question
of supremacy, or that it made the country umlingual or brought race-
peace?

I did not devote all the time of my visit to pobtical enquiry I hired
a bicycle and rode out frequently to see the green waves at Sea Pomt
I spent many an evening with Olive Schreiner and her husband Cron-
wnght , and we were often joined by Cartwngbt of the South Afnpan Neits
and J M Robertson who, hke myself, was on a visit to the wpe Many
were the discussions we had on religious and social questions 'The lighter
side was also not forgotten, and I remember m particular a famous 35-miIe
dnve we all had round Table Mountam m a wagonette drawn by
three horses dnven by a Malay coachman wearing an enormous straw
hat

I returned to England with my mind quite made up My visit to
South Afnca had only served to strengthen my detennmation to abandon
my candidature, and my decision was announced to the organizers of
the Umorust Party There was some talk of my ha.vmg an inte.cvvew
Mr Joseph Chamberlam himself but m the end nothing came of it It
was then suggested that, m the interests of the Party, my retirement
should be attributed to some cause other than the war. This I refused to
allow I was, of course, a person of no pohtical standing, and my defection
and classification as a 'pro-Boer' was of no importance except to myself
and to my immediate circle ^ ^

My attitude to the war had not been the only question which I had
exammed afresh m the course of my quest I felt it incumbent uDon
to come to a conclusion on my general attitude to the order of soaetv m
which I lived I read many boote and drew great inspiration from the
wntings of Mazzmi One passage* remains most vividly m my memoiy

Vol and ]yrUwis of Joseph fifajamt Cnhcai and Ltlerary

54

It runs

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

Life IS one the individual and society are its two necessary
manifestations^ life considered singly, and life m relation to others
Flames kindled upon a common altar, they approach each other in
rising, until they mmgle together m God "

Another book, Commerce and Chnsltantiy, interested me deeply The
following words seem prophetic

‘You have been accumulating a superabundance of capital, and
you havCj been mvcntmg and discovering new powers of production,
which, to the early days of our grandfathers, would have been magical
and uncanny As the direct result of all this, the coming century is
about to pour down upon you a deluge of wealth wluch, if I did not
beheve that there is a God above whose purpose is to prevent it, I
should say threatens lo brmg down civiluation itself "

In this field I had no immediate objective decision to take, but I moved
appreciably to the left without spe«^cally becommg a soculist

Once questionmgs begin, and the muid is given free rem to play on
them, it IS not very easy to Unut the scope I passed, by natural sequence,
to man's whole place in the universe, and m the course of that to his right
to exploit the lower creation for his own ends I asked myself "Must one
really take life, m order oneself to bve^" I remember discussmg this
with Olive Schremer She said that at one time she had herself faced
this question and tried to meet it by becommg a vegetarian Her health
had suffered and she had given it up She had come to the conclusion that
the law that life lives on life must be accepted but that she could only
justify her own part ui it if she was prepared in her turn to give her life
if need be to somethmg higher than herself Profound as was this answer.

I was not wholly convinced by it, and I determmed to give vegetarianism
a trial in my own person I further debated the rhole question of absolute
non resistance 1 shall return to these questions later

It is perhaps not altogether surprising that, in the midst of all this
Emmelme Pethick and I did not readily and at once come back to the
prease point from which we had set out For my part I had subjected
myself to what was almost a fonn of auto psychoanalysis I had read
early and late, and lost my power of sleep In place of my natural buoy
ancy I had become subject to fits of depression The tide of hfe had gone
out It had to come m again before we could resume our courtship where
it had been broken off

I remember that I was walking home one mght feehng utterly de
pressed criticizing myself unspanngly, and regrettmg that I had lacked
that quiet strength in which alone chfficult crises find solution Suddenly
the thought came to me that even now, when everythmg seemed to have
gone wrong an inner calm was my only salvation I have used the
ordinary words the thought came to me but at the tune I was con-
vinced that It was a message of which my consciousness was being made

COURTSHIP 55

aware Who can say whence thoughts come ? The w;scst of us and the
most foohsb ore ahke assailed by them Sometimes they cany profound
truth, sometimes they suggest folly or wickedness Often they arc mere
'wilI-o’-thc»wisps* My thought that night, whatever its ongin, had a
profound influence on my life

It was fortunate for me that several pieces of mtercsting and con*
structive work opened out to me at that tune 1 came in contact uith
Miss Emily Hobhousc, who had been deeply moved by the condition of
the concentration camps m South Afnea, in which the Boer women and
their children had been interned by the Bntish in the course of o\ cr-
nmnmg the country She desired to raise a fund in Britain to cHcct
improvements, and an organization, called the South Afnean Women’s
and Children's Distress Fund, was formed of which I became hon secre-
tary, the Dowager Lady Farrer treasurer, and Lady Courtney, if I re-
member nghtly, the chmrman Emily Hobhouse herself represented the
fund m South Ahica and visited the camps to distnbutc it Further, as
a result ol her representations, many changes uerc made, and the high
death-rate was greatly reduced

It is always a matter of doubt how far a national minority, who dis-
approve of a MRU waged by theu own country, are justified or wise m
carrymg on propaganda against it while the uar is in progress and feeling
IS tunning high But whatever cntiosm may be levelled against other
activities of the 'pro-Boers', no legitimate exception can be tak^ to the
South African Women’s and Children’s Distress Fund It uas m no sense
defeatist, nor did it weaken the uar effort The bad condition of the camps
was not a dehberate attempt at fngbtfulness by the Bntish, but a failure
of proper organization, paneled by equal failure m oer o^ti soldiers'
camps and hospitals m ^uth Afnea The removal of the worst defects
prol^bly hdped the Dutch in the Cape to remain loyal at the tune to the
Bntish connection, and when the war was over lessened the bitterness
against Bntain Today the name of EmJj Hobhousc, the Englishwoman,
IS held in equal honour by the Dutch with heroes of their own race

About this time, too, several Cambndge men deaded to publish a
symposium dealmg with current social problems. CFG Masterman
ongmated the idea and edited the book which was called The Heart of
the Empxrc Among the other contributors were Pigou, Rcgmald Bray,
Noel Buxton, G P Gooch and G M Trevel>an I was asked to do the
article on housmg Hitherto, people who had wntten on that subject had
dealt mainly with the question of pulling down slums and building ‘model
workmen’s dwelhngs’ on the sites 1 developed a new line T^ing
London as my mam example I divided it mto belts— the City, Inner Lon-
don, Outer London, and the Suburbs — and I showed how m the course
of the nineteenth century the populations of most of the mner parts had
actually dedmed while the great mcrease was confined to the outer rings
Therefore, I concluded, the solution of the problem lay not at the centre
but at the circumference, and I ated the planning of Hendon, Harrow
Woodford, East Ham, Barking and the sul^bs ol the south as the reai
essence of housing reform Of course others beside mj-self had been tumipg
theu attention to town planning, and when a few jears later Parliament
took the matter up and a Committee sat to hear evidence, one of the
witnesses, takmg my successive nngs as his basis, brought my figures up

5^ FATE HAS BEEH KIND

to date in order to press the same conclusion as mine Ultimately the

Town Planning Act developed the idea and gave it legislative sanction

I had also accepted an mvitation from Manchester College, Oxford, to
be 'Dunkm' professor for the year and, as such, to deliver a weekly lecture
on economics In the first two terms I devoted myself to orthodox
pohtical economy, but m the third I took as my subject the soaal
problems of the day, usmg as my textbook Charles Booth's Ltfe and
Labour of the People, to which I have already made reference For this
third course I circulated throughout the University an advance syllabus,
and was agreeably surprised at havmg a crowded lecture room of men
and women who contmued coming regularly, even in Eights Week when
the boat races were actually m progress Included among these was
Lees Smith, afterwards to become my colleague and leader m the House
of Commons I remember that my last lecture was on soaalism and that
I could not make up my ramd beforehand whether I would come out for
It or agamst it Faced with ray audience, I told them that socialism m
some shape was mevitable, and that the important thi ng was to ensure
that when it came it should take a good form

Fmally, at the mvitation of friend, 1 undertook financial responsibihty
for the London evening newspaper, the Echo, and took over active control
of Its management and pohey This great task was to absorb my energies
and my resources for several years to come, and I will reserve the story
of It for the next chapter But mdirectly it afiected my hfe on the personal
side, as I will now relate

Up till then I had had httle expenence of busmess or journalism, and
these I had to learn by myself with the assistance of the stafi of the paper
But m the matter of policy I decided to avail myself of the help of my
friends, and 1 gathered round me a httle arcle, to plan out with me how
best we could utilize the platform which the control of a daily organ of
opmion provided This httle informal comxmttee met once a week m a
small office m the City m Bread Street, which had been the birthplace
of one of my uncles, and which was still the centre of the control of the
Lawrence-family property

I do not remember the names of all those who came to assist me m
this work But there was one who had accepted my invitation who
brought with her to our deliberations deep human insight and practical
common sense She brought also two eyes whose glance penetrated to
my inmost being Emmelme Pethick and I met once more, not only on
the committee but at the ^Is' club of which she was president She took
me agam to the tmy flat m Somerset Terrace, close to St Pancras Church,
where I had made her my onginal proposal, and the fires of our love for
one another that had lam dormant blazed out afresh and lUummed our
lives

In the outside world the frosts and bitter wmds of winter had gone
and the ever-recumng miracle of the sprmg was bemg re enacted In
our hearts on that day m May 1901 the equal miracle of human love was
manifested to us with its nch pageantry of light and joy Thenceforward
we knew that we belonged to one another We knew that whatever gifts
we each had were no longer separately our own but were part of our
common possession The full tide of life had returned And thus we
plighted our troth

JOURNALISM

57

CHAPTER VI

JOURNAU5U

Coatrol of the £cAo — Distinguished contributors — Henry Pethick — ^Tho Esp^rince .
Club— The Boer War — A family breach — An unusual wedding — Pett Ridge
■ — T P O Connor — Chinese labour — Lloyd George — H N Brailsford — Birtii
of the Labour Party — Ramsay MacDonald — Colonel Creswell — W T Stead —
The Reformers Year Book — The Labour Record and Review — Keir Hardie —
visit to £g}^t — The Echo ceases pntdication

The Echo had been founded m the late sixties of the nineteenth century
by Passmore Edwards and was the first halfpenny evening paper in
London Its progressive outlook and literary flavour had secured it a
regular sale amongst thodghtful radicals, and it had been for many years
a good paymg property But it had not kept pace with the times, and
several newcomers had lattterly gone ahead of it m populanty and
circulation

As Treasurer of Mansfield House I had met Passmore Edwar^ m
connection with one of his many benefactions, but it was not from^ him
that I acquired my interest m the paper A few years previously he had
disposed of it to some Liberal poUtiaans, of whom the most prominent
were Thomas Lough, M P for Islmgton. and John Barker, of Kensington,
who had turned it into a company It was my old fnend F W Hirst
who came to see me about it He said the paper was m low water, and
he was anxious that it should not pass into the hands of the impenaiist
section of the Party I expressed interest, and he took me to see the
prune mover in the matter — Pavid Lloyd George — then a prominent
prO'Boer pohtiaan and senior partner m a firm of sohcitors

From him 1 learnt that the investment of a few thousand pounds m
the company would not only secure immediate control, but would suffice
to finance the Echo for several months ahead Thus for a sum,
significant compared with the cost of starting a new paper, I could 'have
a run’ with an existing organ possessmg an estabhshed circulation If
at the end of the penod the paper had not turned the comer the situation
could be reviewed afresh It was an attractive proposition for a man who
held strong political views and I accepted it Part of the capital was put
up by some of my fnends, the rest I found myself

The agreement signed, 1 went to the offices m St Bnde Street and was
introduced to the staff There was no regular editor, but J L Hammond
was temporarily writing the leading Nicies I went down into the
machine room, and saw the great rotary machines pnntmg and countmg
the papers I was handed a copy foe myself, and felt rather like the little
girl who, when given a glass of milk straight from the cow, expostulated
that she was used to having it from a ‘mce clean can’ In later years-I*^
was often m the machine room, and the roanng monsters always fascinated
me I remember one of them, m particular, which had its well-behaved
days and its naughty days Sometimes it would print, fold and count
the papers in a most seemly fashion At other tunes it would tear them
and throw them all about the floor, I never could account for these fits
of lU-temper unless perhaps it was the weather or the texture of the paper

58 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

The day after my first visit was Budget day m the House of Commons,
and at Hirst's suggestion I issued a spfeoally late edition of the paperwith
a verbatim report of the Budget speech It did not have a large sale, as
most of the buymg public had already gone home But it so happened
that an advertiser, wishmg late m the evenmg to place a topical advertise-
ment for next day, found our office unexpectedly open and gave it to us,
thus more than paymg for the cost of the extra edition

If I had had more expenence of joilmalism I should have devoted my-
self first and foremost to news and arculation , and to that end I ought to
have scoured Fleet Street for the best news editor and the best circulation
manager that could be foxmd But mymterest was centred on the political
side I mduced Percy Alden to become editor, H N Brailsford to write
the leadmg articles sind J Ramsay MacDonald to contribute the I,abour
notes, but the other key posts were left to less distinguished men I
myself became Chairman of the corapatiy and Managing Director

When I had been m control about two months, I issued a speaai
number setting out the aims and pohcy of the new proprietors We
stood for conciliation m foreign pohcy, civil hberty at home and m the
Empire, social reform irrespective of Party, and the mterests of labour as
agamst the ‘tyrarmy of organized capital’ I published a number of
messages of support from d^tinguisbed men and women m all walks of
life Keir Hardie wrote “The trouble with the Press is that every
question is viewed from the Partystandpomt An outspoken organ
of social reform is needed “ Lloyd George sent “All efiorts for the im-
provement of the conditions of the people must be vain unless peace
prevails" James Bryce said “Ifod the Press presented the facts relating
to South Africa fully and fairly to the people they never would have
suffered the Ministry to mvolve us m a needless and disastrous war ’’
Herbert Spencer wrote “After nearly two thousand years of preaching
of the rehgion of aimty the rebgion of enmity remams predommant
throughout Europe " Other contributions came from Leonard Courtney,
Dr CUfford, Fredenc Hamson, Canon Barnett, Canon Scott Holland and
Mark Twain Mrs Humphry Ward bade us not to 'let London forget
the sweated trades’

Shortly before this I had become engaged, and I lost no tunc m paying
a visit to Emmeline's people in Weston super-Mare They admitted me
at once to the family circle It was a large one I found 1 was to have a
new father and mother, seven new brothers and sisters, numerous undcs
and aunts and no less thanjo first cousmsi From one and all, as I came
to know them, I received the most wonderful welcome Henry Pethick
took me down to the offices of the IKjssAw super-Aferc Gazette, which he
owned, and mtroduced me as his ‘son m-law elect’ I started by bemg
very respectful to him and deferred to his opinions even when they differed
from my own But he would have none of it “Why does he always
agree with me?" he said to fus daughter "I would much rather he
treated me as an equal and held bis own ground m argument " I readily
took the hint and we were the best of fhends up to the day of his death
In June, Emmclmc and her fnend Mary Neal took, some of the tmy
children of their Espirance Girls' Club to stay at Broadmoor, near
Dorking, where Mrs Brook generously placed two of her cottages at their
disposal I joined the party at the week-end and had my first mtro-

JOURNALISM 59

duction to this lovely part of Surrey, not far (com which we have ever
since made our count^ home Emmeline and I walked together up
Leith Hill, visited Coldharbour and bathed the children in the lake at
Friday Street Later, 1 went with her to Littlehampton, where the elder
girls of the Espdrance Club were havmg their coimtry hohday, I made a
maze for them on the sea-shore at ebb tide In after years this club was
to become famous for the part it played, imder the able supermtendence
of Mary Neal, m the revival of the old English folk songs and Moms
dances all over the country

In the greater world, the South Afncan Warwas runnmg its course,
and John X Merrui^, the Englishman, and Sauer, the Dutchman, came
over from the Cape to explam in England the facts about the situation,
and plead for a concihatory settlement My name was assoaated with
their activities, and my Uncle Edwm, who regarded it all as ‘defeatism*,
deaded that the tune had come to make a clean cut m the relationship
between us At his request I went to see him Each of us understood
and respected the sincerity of the other far too well to quarrel about the
matter, or to attempt to Mter the other's settled convictions In future,
our political paths were to be diametncally apart and social separation
was m my uncle's view a necessary concomitant

Alxmt the same time, bliss Enuly Hobhouse found her health did not
permit her to continue her active work, and I, as secretary of the South
Afncan Women’s and Children's Distress Fund, bad to find a successor
to carry it on I mvited one ol the appbcants for the position to discuss
It over a cup of tea at my fiancee's flat After the me^ I was just about
to light a agarette when 1 thought it only polite tentatively to offer one
to her Emmeline, se 4 mg her look of embarrassment, said, "He means
to ask if he may smoke," and on her replying. "1 don't mmd if the window
IS open," I decided not to smoke myself I thought no more of the madent
and fixed up the appomtment

A few days later, however, my assistant secretary received a letter
from the young lady decimmg the task because of my mvitmg her to
smoke She had never been so insulted before m her bfe. she said, even
by rough men m the wilds She had thought to go to South Africa to do
God's service, but smce the 'agarette mcident' she bad come to the
conclusion that 'the blessingofGi^caii never reston any work with which
he IS m any way connected' My assistant secretary thought that I
should be upset by this letter I confess I saw another side to it 1 It is
difficult today to realize that this could have happened only 40 years ago I

Emmeline and I were to be married m Octobw We decided to have
a simple flat m London for our workaday life and a small house m the
country for week-ends We were fortunate in our house-huntmg Our
very fiist visit was to Clement's Inn, which had recently been rebuilt
for offices and flats We found exactly what we wanted there, and it
was our London home for nearly 17 years It had a romance of its own
for while the front faced the new Law Courts, it backed on Old Wych
Street and a labyrinth of old London streets alr^dy m process of demoli-
tion to form Aldwych and Kingsway We little suspected then that we
should add to its romance, and that it would be pomted out to future
London visitors as the 'place where the sufiragettes lived' In the
country, too, our first 'order to view’ % as for a charmmg house buUt b

6o FATEHASBEEfJKIND

Lutyens at The Holrawood It overlooked the village cnckct ground, and
at the back lay the fnendly slopes of Leith Hill and the Coldharbour
woods It caught our fancy and we closed with the offer at once

We decided on a somewhat unu^I wedding We wanted all our
Inends to be there, and 'all' included, m addition to our xelatives and
political and social fellow workers, the men of the Mansfield House Men’s
Club and the old ladies of the St Pancras workhouse, whom Emmeline
was m the habit of visitmg every wee*k The ceremony was performed by
Percy Alden, Mark Guy Pearse and the Unitarian Mmister of my family
chapel, and it took place in the Oinnmg Town Public Hall As this was
not licensed for mamages we had the legal weddmg m advance in the St
Pancras registry office — 'short but bmding' as the registrar said We
chartered a special tram to Canning Town to bring the London guests
Everybody enjoyed the day, mcluding, of course, the bnde and bnde*
groom, and people wrote afterwards recallmg the 'sunny' day, which
in fact had been overcast with cloud

We spent a week of our hohday at the Abmger Hatch Hotel, from
which we could walk over to the Mascot, our bouse at Holmwood, and
another week in the New Forest, and then came back to our work in
London The Echo had not turned the comer But the idea of throwing
It up after getting it gomg on new lines was unthmkable, so new coital
bad to be found Agam I provided the bulk of it, but my sister Cfarry
and H J Wilson, Liberal M P for Holm^h, provided handsome sums
and took up shares

Among special contributors to the paper on its hteraiy side was Fett
Ridge, who wrote a short story for us every week He had already made
a name for himself with Maud Em’ly and other books m which he repro-
duced the qumtessence of cockney wit He did not keep all his humour
for his writings, and I remember a story he told me about the littleservant-
girl who worked in the house m which he hved She had descnbed to
him a talk she had had with some other guls of her acquamtance who had
asked her if she had a sweetheart and told her how they ‘take you out
m the evening and pay for your bus fare, your supper and your seat at
the balls’ "When 1 come to think of it," she said, "I see'd it must be a
great save ”

I tried to get T P O Connor to .wnte for the paper but we did not
succeed in coming to an arrangement Instead, he mvited me to dme
with him at the House of Commons and laid before me a scheme for one
of his new ventures — T P 's Weekly 1 think it was — and asked me to
provide the capital to float it He' was then m his prime, bnmful of
vitality, with an unsurpassed loiowledge of the ways of the world and an
almost uncanny flair for joumahsm I spent a most pleasant evening
but I did not respond to his speculative proposal Perhaps, if I
bad done so, I might have recouped myself for some of my loss on the
Echo , , ,

In 1902 hostilities in South Africa were brought to an end by the peace
of Vcreeniguig Onginally unconditional Surrender had been demanded,
but better counsels prevailed, and Kitchener was allowed to negotute a
'soldiers’ settlement’ with the Boer generals It was further modified
later by Sir Henry Cempbell-Bannennan But memories are Jong among
the Afrikaner people, and all (he statecraft of Botha and Smuts (both of

, JOURNALISM 6t

whom fought against us as Generals in the war) have not succeeded
in reconcilmg a large and influential section of them to the British
connection

One of the immediate consequences of the Bntish victory was that the
imneowners were given a free hand in the Transvaal gold-mmes They
used It to introduce Chinese labour The men were recruited under
contract m Chma, and, leaving all their womenfolk behind, were brought
over m immense numbers to the Rand, where they were confined in
special compounds The system had grave mherent objections and was
open to most senous abuse The Echo took a leading part in denouncing
It, and Its attitude was supported by most of the Liberal press and by a
growing body of pubhc opmion

Another sequel to the war was the visit paid by Joseph Chamberlain
in person to South Africa It is possible that, seeing things for himself
in the spot, he formed a different opmion concemmg the wisdom of his
previous policy Be that as it may, on his return he started off on an
entirely new campaign Years before, Disraeh had declared that Protec-
tion was 'not only dead but damned’ Chamberlain revived it under the
title of 'Tariff Reform' and gave it an imperial settmg Great debate
fiillowed m Parliament, in the Press, and throughout the country The
Echo fook up the cudgels vigorously on behalf of Free Trade In addition,
I wrote a pamphlet on the subject, and sent it to several prominent men,
including Asquith In acknowledging it he wrote, for me to publish, a
few sentences expressing his agreement I followed the same course
vith a pamphlet on Chmese labour, but this time I got no reply

Mr Lloyd George warmly supported my attitude on both questions
and promised to send me messages for publication When one of them
was not forthcoming, I 'phoned him and he told me to write something
myself and put his name to it In addition to pohtical advice he gave me
the benefit of his agile mind m his capacity as solicitor to the company
Sometimes my wife and I had the pleasure of entertaiiung him at our
flat m Clement's Inn I remember on one occasion he was lamenting the
fact that religious services had ceased to be well attended and asked from
what other source, if any, the people of London could obtam moral
instruction “From many of the End theatres," my wife rephed
He was incredulous and seemed almost shocked 'Name your own day,"

' she said, ' come to dinner with us and we will take you to a theatre at
random ’ He chose the date and the theatre was fixed up Unfortunately
at tVie last Tmimtebe could not come andwe went aione Tbe play was one
long sermon on the evils of gambhngf

Percy Alden did not remain editor of the Echo for more than some
i8 months and when he resigned I took on the editorship myself This
brought me to the office about seven ©clock every morning After
reading all the London papers, I waited for the amval of Brailsford to
settle the leading articles for the days issue He generally amved a
little late and somewhat hot and bothered, having bicycled from his home
in Hampstead But when once the subjects had been agreed upon, he
was a consummate master of his craft Sharpenmg his pencil wi^ a

stnallrazQr,whichhekept unsheathed intus waistcoat pocket.he proceeded

tQ wnte, with incredible rapidity, faultless English and inexorable loeic
In three-quarters of an hour he could wnte both the mam leader of some

62 FATEHASBEENKIND

700 words and a 'short' of 250 words more In another half hour he had

corrected the proofs and was on his way home again

In 1900, at the instigation of Keir Hardie, the Labour Representation
Committee' had been formed by the federation for political purposes of
the Trade Unions and the Sooahst Societies— the Independent Labour
Party, the Social Democratic Federation and the Fabian Soaety In
1903 the Newcastle resolution was passed, bmding mdependence of other
pohtical parties on all candidates standmg imder the aegis of the Com
mittee Brailsford and I at once saw the epoch makmg character of this
decision, which later brought the Labour Party mto being He wrote a
leader for the Echo welcoming the new decision Not very graaously
this support was referred to later m an article m a Labour pubhcation
which said that the Press of London, with one insignificant exception', had
shown Its hostihty

Brailsford went away for some months m 1903 to go to Afacedoma to
distribute relief A year or two earlier he had himself been fighting for
the Greeks m their war While he was away the leadmg artidcs m the
Echo were generally written by McCallum Scott, who afterwards sat as
Liberal M P for Bridgeton, and who was later killed m an aeroplane
accident in Bntish Columbia But occasionally they were »T 7 ttea bv
the contributor of the weekly Labour notes— James Ramsay MacDonald
He and his wife. Margaret, were bving at that time m a mt m the tall
block on the north side of Lincoln sInn Fields, close to where thememonal
to her now stands At this flat, when it was crowded out at one of their
regolar At Homes, one was sure of autwg most oi the notables in the
soaalist world

The MacDonalds came and stayed a week-end with us at our
country house in Kofmwood, and brought their family with them, includi ng
Malcolm, who was then an infant in arms Airs. MacDonald was a woman
of remarkable singleness of character, and her approach to questions was
^ways direct and straightforward I remember being struck by by
absence of sentunentahty when I was getting the facts from her for the
character sketch I wrote 0/ her husband in TfU Labour Record etndRettrs
1 remember, too, a talk which 1 bad with him many years later in the
House of Commons, m the course of which he suddenly and unexpectedly
confessed to me thatcicrythinghadbccn different with him since the day
of her death

JOURNALISM 65

Wanted to get certain facts across about Chinese labour, he said that the
papers in whose columns he usually wrote were closed to hun, and asked
me to help him Every now and agam he mtemipted his story and re-
quest to tell me how thoroughly he disapproved of my misguided attitude
'on the Boer War This unusual method of approach won my heart, for
I reflected that only a man of complete smeenty would have adopted it.
He earned me off to lunch with him m Park L^e and we laid the basis
of a fnendship which has lasted all our lives This man was Colonel
Creswell, who afterwards became the leader of the Labour Party in South
Afnca

Another promment figure of the day with whom the Echo brought me
in close contact was W T Stead He had already had a remarkable
career m championmg impopular causes, and to his surprise had been
appomted by C^cil Rhodes one of the trustees under his Will He had
b^n at one time the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette His most successful
journalistic enterprise was his Remap of Rewacs He now conceived the
idea of produemg a mormng paper under novel conditions It was to
go to press several hours later th^ the other mormng papers, and was to
be arculated by speaal dehvery The Echo secured the pnntmg contract,
with the result that our offices and our machinery were employed m a
double shift, and at first I myself sat up through the night to sujienntend
operations

The Daily Paper, as he called it, did not survive many weeks Stead’s
editorial work exhibited his usual brilliance but the special method of
distribution encountered many obstacles, and he had not enough capital
to stand a prolonged period of losses His health broke down, and he
went abroad, leavmg the wmdmg-up of the affairs of the paper to others
When he came back, our bill for the pnntmg still remained unpaid, and
I met hun several tunes before a compromise settlement was amved at
1 remember on one occasion when 1 went to see him at his office ofi the
Strand he told me ol a dream he bad had m the previous night He was
bemg kicked to death m the street, be said When I looked pamed, he
said be would rather die m some such way than merely succumb to illness
I recalled these words later when I leamt that he had gone down m the
Titanic He had last been seen, it was said, handing over his hfebelt to
another passenger who was without one

For some yearn previously Joseph Edwards, of Glasgow, had been
hTxogmg out a year book under the title of The Labour Arwual Per£}’
Alden suggested to me that this should be taken over by the Echo To
this 1 agreed, and the 1903 edition, with the new title of The Reformers’
Year Book, was published by us under the jomt editor^p of himself and
Edwards After Alden resigned from the Echo I continued to edit and
publish the book up till 1908 I introduced into it portraits and biog-
raphies of all the candidates of the Labour Representation Committee
nmiy of whomsecuredentrymtoParhamentuithe iQofielection Another
feature to which I gave a great deal of thoughtwas'^estions of the Day*
which appeared in the 1908 edition In this section I dealt with 'F^
Meals for School Children', ‘Housmg and Town Planmng’, ‘Old Aee
Pensions', ‘Woman Suffrage' and a great many other subjects Several
of the proposals advocated are now the law of the land ^

In the spring of 1905 I started to publish a monthly paper entitled

^4 PATEHASBELNKIND

The La^ur Record and Review, which would chronicle the pnnapaJ events,
of the Labour world. I wrote a character sketch m each issue of one of
the leading figures in the movement Will Crooks formed the subject of
the second number, and Ramsay MacDonald of the third, and I told of
the old village schoolmaster who had helped to form his mmd Of Keir
Hardie I wrote ^

“He has been called uncompronusmg and unpractical, but this is
a mistake Compromise in the matter of principle, it is true, he will
never allow , but he has shown over and over agam that in its legitimate
field he reco^izcs that compromise has an important place \Wjat
Hardie refuses to do— ~and thereby shows his practical knowledge of
the world — is to declare beforehand his intention of being satisfied
with much less than he really wants “

In later issues 1 had sketches, among others, of George Lansbury, Philip
Snowden, Olive Schremcr and Chnstabel Pankhurst

My wife and I saw a good deal of Keir Hardie m those days, for he had
rooms in a tiny house in an old-world court behind Chancery Lane, and
he often dropped in to see us at Clement’s Iim Closer acquamtance
confirmed the impression I had formed when I met him for the first time
at Mansfield House He was, m fact, the exact opposite of the uncouth
and unpractical iconoclast, which those whose privileges he threatened
pamted him He was the most sensitive person I have ever known in
my life, and if be was unconventional it was because he bad to be, m order
to achieve his purpose I remember an occasion when be was being held
up to ndicule for some queer utterance He came to lunch with us next
day, and told us why he had made it A certain mjustice had to be
exposed, be had tned several times to get it across to the public m the
normal way, but each tune he had been blocked If be made a gauchene,
he knew that that would be published to discredit him So he bad delib*
erately exposed himself to censure, m order that public wrong might not
escape detection

As for the other charge that he was unpractical, it is true that he
dreamed dreams of a more just world But a very large number of those
dreams have already come true , and if any man is entitled to be accounted
the prmcipal architect of the better order it is he He founded the I L P
and from it built up the Labour Party and inspired both with his spint
He lived long enough to secure respect for his personality, even from those

his worth was only appreciated by a few, and I am happy to have been
one of that number I remember thatj wrote for him a memorandum on
the Budget which he mcorporated almost unaltered m an article m the
Financial Review of Reviews At hismvitation I also served on the Metro-
pohtan District Council of the I L P

Keir Hardie also visited us in our house at Holmwood, and brought
with him a party of pohtical fnends There, too, we used to entertain the
members of Emmehne’s girls’ chib, andm it we set aside alarge upper room
for their special use at week-ends One of our guests was a tmy girl who
used to climb up and stand on my bead She is now my very efficient
secretary Liter, m recollection oi the generous hospitality oi Mrs Brook,

JOURNALISM 65

at Broadmoor, we built a special children's cottage a (ew yards away from
our own house On its south-east wall I erected a mural sundial with a
modification of the traditional sundial couplet This cottage is no longer
our property, but the sundial is still on the wall, and anyone going by
road from Horsham to London will see it just before commencing to
descend the hiU at Holmwood

In the late autuhin of 1904 Emmeline decided to pay a visit to Egypt,
and her sister and cousin went with her She planned a voyage up the
Nile in a dahabtyah and a return to Cairo by a caravan of camels All the
arrangements worked well, and the dragoman, m expression of his respect
for her organizmg ability, exclaimed *‘Your husband must have paid a
very big pnee for you '' On being told that that was not a Bntish
custom he said that then if he were an Englishman he would have many
wivesl I joined the party shortly before Christmas, and Emmeline had
to telegraph to me to Cairo the place they would be in next day The
captain of the boat would only commit himself to the extent that they
would reach a certam village ‘if Allah wills' However, when I got out
of the tram just before dawn the whole party was there on the platform
to greet me and conduct me back to the boat

1 shall not attempt to desenbe the wonders of Luxor or Assuan or
even of Sakhara, where relics of two separate periods of pre-Roman
Egyptian history are preserved, the interval between the two being
greater than that which separates the later one from our own day I
Of the caravan journey I will only say that it was a most exhilarating
expenence to nde, day after day, across the desert on camels, and to pitch
our tents at night under the never-failmg^ stars I understood how it
came about that the Egyptians were such accurate astronomers Our
final camping ground was only a short distance from the sphmx, and m
the early dawn of the following day we walked there to see it Ut up by
the sunrise The Arabs spoke of it as ‘he', but I saw it as the sculptor s
amazing conception of the eternal femmme

When we got hack to London I had to face the finances of the Echo,
which were becommg a senous dram on my resources By vanous means
1 had mcreased its arculation by some 60 per cent 1 had taken a branch
office m Poland Street, Soho, and installed prmting machmes there to
enable me to reach the West End with the news ahead of our rivals ,
Mrs Lloyd George had performed the opening ceremony But circulation
of Itself does not directly help to make a paper pay I remember reckoning
that if costs were divided into those required for produang a single copy,
and those for the paper, pnntmg, and distnbution of addition^ copies,
the receipts from sales barely covered the latter All the overhead charges
and editorial expenses bad to be borne by the revenue from advertise-
ments At one period of m> control, when the ‘tobacco war’ was in full
blast and rival firms were advertismg against one another, we got almost
within sight of makmg ends meet But with the formation of the Imperial
Tobacco Company our advertisement revenue from this source fell off
by no less than £3000 a year and we were further away from prospentv
than ever 1 decided now that I could not any longer face the dram on
my resources

66

FATE HAS BEEN KIND
The paper passed accordingly mto the hands of the debenture holders,
among whom I had not a majority control There was some proposal to
sell the copyright I should have been prepared to dispose of it to a
progressive paper hke the Star, but not to the Conservative group which
alone offered to buy it After some dissension among my fellow debenture-
holders my view prevailed The paper accordingly simply ceased puhh-
cation I felt it would be quite wrong to allow the staff who had worked
throughout my control with the zeal and loyalty traditional m newspaper
circles to be cast off with nothing but their wages to the date of the
closmg down I atcordmgly paid them myself sums m heu of notice
which would give them a reasonable time to look round for other employ
ment I also met m full the claims of the unsecuied creditors who, in
my view had supphed goods to the company on the strength ofuiy fai^y
name I did not, however, consider myself under any personal obhgation
to my fellow debenture holders, who had mvested their money before
my time from pohtical or business motives and who must be presumed to
have faced the normal nsk of so domg

When all was done I computed my total loss on the venture I found
that by a cunous comadence it was almost exactly equal to the fortune
which had been left to me very shortly before by my brother. Newspapers
had been his passion, but he had never had the opportunity of indulging
It by running a paper of his own I am certain that I could not have spent
his money m a way that would have secured his more hearty approval

CHAPTER VII

THE SUrFRAGSriES

South Africa — Preadent Steyn — G«netal Hertiog — The 1906 Electioo — Womaa
auflrag»~Why it was opposed — ^Militancy — My initiation — Annie Kenney —
The first LoMOn iznpnsoaments — The W S P U — Chrutabel — Arrest of my
wife — Ten pounds a day — My wife 9 release — Militant demonstrations — Bad
— Split 10 the ranks

The years from the demise of the Echo up to the outbreak of the first
World War were to be the most dramatic in my hfe They were the
years of the women s rebellion in which my wife and I were to be called
upon to play an active and promment part But the opening scenes took
place m our absence and U was not till many months afterwards that I
knew anyt^g at all about them

Knim prinp and I had taken the opportunity of a break m our active
responsibilities to pay a visit to South Afnca It was partly a holiday
and partly a pohtical pilgrimage We visited Bulawayo and the Victona
Falls of the ^imbesi we stayed with Memman at his Stellenbosch fann
and with Ohve Schreiner at her little home m Hanover We saw Chmese
labour at work m the gold mines of the Rand and Indian coohes m the
sugar plantations of Natal We went to lunch with ex President Ste>Ti
of the Orange Free State, who told us how retummg to his home a broken
man after Signing the treaty of peace he bad been met by his httle
daughter, a child of six with the words So you are the man who has

THE SUFFRAGETTES 67

Signed away our country ** General Hertzog also recounted to us a per-
sonal expenence of the war His troops, he- said, were in flight He saw
only one way to stop the rot Taking out his revolver he threatened to
shoot the first man who should cross a certain bndge No one met the
challenge, and the retreat was stayed

We humed back to England for the general election m 1906 I had
a vague hope that I might be aSked to contest some seat But it did
not happen Instead, I went to Denbigh Distnct to speak for Clem
Edward, who had opposed the Boer War Chmese ‘slavery* and Free
Trade were the main issues of the election and all over the country the
Government candidates were defeated Wmston Churchill, standing as
a Liberal, put, Arthur Balfour out m Manchester In my home con-
stituency of Reigate a Liberal was returned for the first time m its lustory ,
and Lord Farrer, paying a compliment to a local woman worker, attn-
buted the victory to ‘cheap bread and dear Mrs Powell' Thirty of the
Labour Representation Committee candidates were elected, they promptly
decided to call themselves 'The Labour Party', and chose Keir Hardie
as their chairman Nineteen miners were returned as 'Lib Labs' Eighty-
four Home Rulers won Irish seats The great Conservative Party was
reduced to 158, while the Lib^als (including the miners) numbered no
fewer than 379, giving them a majority of 88 over all other Sections of
the House

It was uideed a 'famous victory', and as I read day by day the results
as they came m 1 thought that the imllennmm was at hand I httle
anticipated that, before that Parhament came to its close, 1 should be
one of the most determined opponents of the Government Campbell-
Bannennan proved himself m many respects a wise and progressive
Prime Minister He wi)n the loyalty of many of the Boers by according
to them a large measure of self government, and restoring the ongin^
title of the 'Orange Free State’ Though Wmston Churchill said that the
word 'slavery' as applied to the Chmese on the Rand was a 'temimological
mexactitude', pressure was brought to bear on the mmeowners to have
them all repatnated Old age pensions were mstituted The Taff Vale
judgment which had put Trade Union funds m jeopardy was overruled
by Act of Parliament When the Czar of Russia dismissed the Duma —
an incipient Russian Parliament — C-B ’ did not hesitate to challenge
diplomatic propriety by saying openly in the House of Commons, "The
Duma IS dem, long live the Duma'"

But there was one section of the community uho regarded the Govern-
ment as reactionary and recalatrant It was a tmy handful of women
who, for some time poor to the general election, had dared to pop up at
Liberal meetings and ask what a Liberal Government, if returned to
power, proposed to do about givmg votes to women Once, they had got
mto trouble wth the police, who alleged that they were guilty of creating
a disturbance and of unseemly conduct and their leader, Chnstabel
Pankhurst, had been sent to pnson The> had neither influence nor
money, and they and their agitation appeared to be wholly without
significance But Keir Hardie thought otherwise His oivn expenence
had taught him not to be contemptuous of small beginnings, his hfelone
acquamtance with the members of the Pankhurst family had revealed
to him their unique qualities and indomitable spirit, above all, his pohtical

68 fatehasbeenkind

genius approved the audacity of their methods So he encouraged their
militancy and introduced the leaders of the movement to his personal
friends — among others to Mrs Cobden Sanderson and to my wife

The modem generation, when they read about the suffragette cam-
paign of those years, must often be puzzled to understand what all the
fuss was about Why was it that there was such bitter opposition to the
enfranchisement of women? Why did the supporters adopt their un-
conventional and disagreeable methods’ Why did Chnstabel Pankhurst
single out the Liberal Government for special attack, seeuig that there
were more Liberals than Conservatives who advocated the change’
1 will try briefly to answer these questions before proceeding to tell the
story of the campaign and of my part in it

The pnncipal motive of mens opposition to woman suffrage was
undoubtedly fear of the use to which women would put the vote if they
got It Men, it was said, were governed by reason, women by emotion
If once the franchise were thrown opep to women, they would speedily
obtam a majority control and force an emotional policy on the country
to the detnment of the public weal In particular it was said (though Jess
openly) that on sex matters women were narrower and harder than men,
and that if they were given power they would impose impossibly strict
standards of morality, and endeavour to enforce them by penalties for
non-observance A further fear was that, if women came to share the
political, intellectual, and occupational life of men they would lose their
special charm and attraction A sbghtly different motive was the innate
love of dommation This was sometimes expressed m the blunt rejoinder
"Votes for Women, indeed , we shall be asked next to give votes to our
horses and dogs/' «

The* full reasons for militancy, if told at length, would occupy several
chapters of this book, but the short jwint can be stated quite simply. An
unenfranchised section of a community can exert no direct pohtical
pressure If the Govemmeat chooses to refuse its demand for the vote,
and if the existmg voters acquiesce m this refusal, it can express its deter-
mination not to be governed without its consent only by some form of
rebellion Since the middle of the nmeteenth century there had been a
constitutional agitation to persuade the Government to grant woman
suffrage It had failed The suffragettes decided therefore that the tune
had come to confront the Government with acts of defiance

It was part of the pohtical genius of Chnstabel Pankhurst that she
went over the heads of the private Members of Parliament, and fastened
on the Government, which afone possesses the initiative in the Bnissh
Constitution as it is worked today She found a Liberal Government
particularly easy prey because of its professed principles, enunciated in
such slogans as 'No taxation without representation', and ^Government
of the people by the people for the people’ By asking the Liberal leaders
not for sympathy but for a pledge of action she placed them on the horns
of a dilemma If they gave it, they would have to implement it, if they
refused it, they would alienate the large and mflucntial associations of
Liberal women whose help was so valuable at election times They there-
fore took refuge in silence or ignomimous retreat

For my own part, I had never troubled myself very much about the
question of woman suffrage, pnnapally, I think, because I saw no sign

THE SUFFRAGETTES 6g

that women themselves were particularly interested m it I knew that
my wife called herself a supporter, but as all her passionate political
advocacy was devoted to other causes, I concluded that her interest was
mainly academic Like most Englishmen, I am moved much more by
concrete grievances than by an assertion of abstract rights, and t faded
to see what the average 'sheltered' woman of the middle classes had to
complain about, or what particular contribution she had to make to
political life Yet it was principally this class of woman who would get
the vote, if the existing law were to be amended as suggested, so as to
remove the sex disqualification without making other changes

On the other hand, I had no masculme prejudice agamst w omen taking
an active part in the life of the world On the contrary, I wanted to see
them puttmg their lives to some purpose instead of fnttenng them away
on a silly and useless round of social functions Any illusions I may have
had at one tune about the superiority of the male bram had been badly
knocked about, first by the successes of women at the University, m-
cludmg that of Miss Philippa Fawcett, who had been placed ‘above the
senior wrangler’, and later by direct contact with my wife, with Ohve
Schremer and other women of capaaty and vision It may fairly be said,
therefore, that I had a mind open to conviction But I do not suppose
that I should ever have become entangled with the suffragettes if it had
not been for my wife

I remember I was sitting out m the garden of my home m the country
on a July morning in igo6, when a telegram came to me from her asking
me to come up to London and help to secure defence for some prisoners
I went up at once and jouied her m a police court It was a dingy and
dirty place, and, as we waited for the three suffragettes to be brought
m, 1 noticed that the dock was not clean 1 stepped forward and rubbed
It dry with ray pocket handkerchief I mention this trivial incident
because it illustrates the French proverb, ‘C'«f le premier pen qui coilte’
Ridiculous as it may seem, this single act, which 1 perfonned out of
courtesy to my wife s fnends, made a greater demand on my courage and
resolution than anything I did later in the campaign, not excluding my
own prison sentence and forcible feeding By it I testified that m this
matter of the women s revolt I had taken sides with the dock agamst the
bench, and I accepted the full imphcation of all that that entailed

The three prisoners presented a sorry spectacle to the casual observer
All were working women and poorly dressed Apart from her flaming
eyes, Annie Kenney looked an ordinaiy north country mill girl Mrs
Sbarboro was the wife of an Italian workman resident m East London
Mrs Knight was lame and msignificant Except my wife and myself
they had few fnends in Court, and they bad no assurance that, if they
were sent to pnson, they would have any sustamed backmg when they
came out Yet they were standing there undismayed when charged with
disorderly conduct They had been ui Cavendish Square trying to see
Mr Asquith rmgmg his doorbell and rcfiising to go away I Annie Kennev
was accused of having had a whip in her hand She denied it , her smeentv
' was so obvious to the Court that the policeman withdrew the accusation
and said that he might have mistaken a stnng bag she was canymg for
a whipt It was alleged during the proceedings that in Cavendish Square
a poheeman had said, ‘ These are the sort of nomen who uant a pint of

7*^ FATEHA3BEENKIND

gin in the morning *’ “No, sir," said Mrs Sbarboro solemnly to the
magistrate without any intentional humour, ‘ he did not say that, he
s^d^ These women are the sort who want half a pint of gin m the morn-
ing ' ” In the end they were bound over to keep the peaoe.nnd, on their
refusal as a matter of principle, were sent to prison

These were the first imprisonments in London in the campaign, but
there was a considerable story behind them As far back as 1903 Mrs
Pankhurst had founded the Women's Social and Pohtical Union in
Manchester, a kmd of oflshoot of the Labour Party But it was not till
the autumn of 1905 that Chnstabel Pankhurst, then a brilliant young law
student, had, as I have already mentioned, raised the flag of revolt The
facts were that she and Anme Kenney had gone to a meetmg to question
Sir Edward Grey and had displayed a httle home made banner bearing
the words 'Votes for Women' He had refused to answer, and they had
been ejected, in the street outside Chnstabel, attemptmg to address
the crowd, had been arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour.
A prison sentence followed, and the University authonties warned
Chiistabel agamst any similar action by her while she was under their
jurisdiction So Mrs Pankhurst and Annie came South 'to rouse Ixindon',
as Annie told my wife when she first met her Mrs Pankhurst staged a
little scene in the ladies' gallery of the House of Commons when a woman
suffrage BiU was talked out A persistent attempt to mterview the Prime
Mmister at his house was met by arrests, but, later, the women were
released, and he consented to receive a deputation representmg all sections
of women suffragists Replying to their speeches he said that he could
not do what they asked, as his Oibmet was divided He advised them to
try to convert their opponents It was m pursuance of this advice that
they h'ad gone to Mr Asquith's house as his opposition was notorious

From this time onward the suffragettes surged up mto my hfe They
invaded my flat, and almost took possession of it and everSdhmg in it
They engrossed the attention of my wife, who had become their honoraiy
treasurer They brought with them an inexhaustible fund of logic and
laughter courage and charm, reason and raillery By their very presence
thej^ knocked bottom out of the silly cancatures of them as lanky,
bespectacled, and women, which appeared m the Press Chnstabel
Pankhurst herself amved from Manchester freshly crowned with the
highest University honours a veritable Portia out to plead the cause 0/
her sex She was quite irresistible, and my wife and I placed the spare
room m our flat at her disposal Mrs Pankhurst, too, was often our
guest Another visitor was "Mary Gawfborpe, a rogms'n ’iitfie maih Wno
Could flatten out an interrupter at one 0/ her meetings, and yet leave
him amused though perplexed

All through the summer of 1906 the campaign went on Open air
meetings were the order of the day — ^in London, m Hyde Park and at
street comers, in theprovinces, in the recogniaedpJacesfor such gatherings
Considerable crowds attended, attracted by the pubbcity given in the
Press to the militant methods explanation of which wa given on every
occasion In general the audiences, though they kept an open mind on
the mam issue, gave the women a fair hearing and were intrigued by the
verve and wit of the speakers An exception was the meetmg at Boggart
Hole Clough m Manchester, at which I wja present m person Stimulated

THS SUPfRACBTTBS -Jl

by a few rowdy youths a regular stampede occurred, and some of the
women were hunted Uirou^h the pork and ran imminent nsk of ^ng
trampled to death I felt intense indignation, and registered a \ow to
stand by the movement till victory was won

Nevertheless, I did not at first deem it my busuicss to lake any
active part in the struggle The day had gone by when 'ladies' expected
'gentlemen' to be kind enough to tell them how to get the vote. Tlus
was a campaign organized by women and executed by women who were
out to show the stud they were made of Christabel and her mother were
masters of pohtical strategy My wife was a genius at attracting financial
support The rank and file made cxccUcnt speakers, bcckJcrs and workers
There was no lack of imtiativc, dnvc, courage and enthusiasm. But I
began to be aware that something was missing There was a danger that
by the Very exuberance of its growth the movement would outrun its
own co-ordination There was a need for what is today called 'planning'
on the busmess side

The ^st step was to take an office Most conveniently the lower
floors in Clement’s Inn had recently been vacated by the Land Registry
Ofhee, and two rooms, the first of many the Union was subsequently to
occupy, were immediately available They were opened as London Head-
quarters in September 1906 Inadcntally. I was not sorry to recover
undisputed possession 0! my own flat, which was just above! At my
suggestion Miss Kerr, a friend of E V Lucas, consented to give up her
0 W 71 secretarial busmess and run the office Her amusmg experiences
with some of the voluntary workers 1 will tell later Mrs Sbarlwro, now
released from prison, v.'as given the job of looking after it on the domestic
side Her mother-wit was an unfading source of entertainment She
alw*ays referred to her husband as 'my old kiU-joy' Once someone gave
her a copy of No 5 J’oAn Si . by Hidmd Whitcing She brought it back
next day sa>ing — "f don’t want to read about the people I have been
meeting all my life, I have gone back to my Plato "

That autumn saw, too, the bcgmmng of the Monday afternoon 'At
Homes', which went on continuously >carm and year out during the mib-
tant campaign They w ere intcnd<^ pnnapally for w omen, but men w ere
not excluded Strategy was explained, militant demonstrations were
announced, a collection was taken and members were enrolled. I
generally came and sold literature — books, pamphlets and. later, the
Votes for WotTien newspaper Among other books, I arranged with Put-
nams for a whole edition of Women and Ecowmtes. by Charlotte Pcrkiri
btetson, and it was all sold out When the attendance grew too big to
be accommodated m the office in Clement’s Inn the v enue was changed to
the Portman Room» in Baker Street, and later to the Queen's Hall
Overseas visitors came in large numbers There vras a constant attend-
ance of Indians, and .Vmencan women ’doing' London considered their
visit incomplete if they had not been present at at least one of iVif^
gatherings ,

At the end of October 1906 events occurred which brought me into
far closer assoaation with the movement. My wife was arrested. She
had gone, with other members of the Women’s Soaal and Political Umon
to the House of Commons on the day that Paxharient opened, an d m
accordance with a preconcerted plan she had jumped up on to ore of the

72 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

seats m the Central Lobby and started to address the M P s and others
who were present. Pulled down and bundled out into the street, ^ong
with a number of other women who had made a similar protest, she had
tried to re-enter the House and had been taken into custody. I knew
nothmg of her intentions befordiand, and I only learnt the story after
she had been released on bail and ordered to appear at Rochester Row
Pohce Court next morning It was a great shock to me , for things which
happen to other people assume an entirely different aspect when they come
right home to one’s own family circle

I went with her to the Court next mommg, and she surrendered to
her bail, together with mne other women, mcluding Mrs Cobdea Sander-
son, daughter of Richard Cobden and wife of the veteran colleague of
William Moms The pohce evidence was naturally confined to the
element of pubhc disorder, and the magistrate cut short Mrs Cobden
Sanderson's attempt at a political defence My wife did not try to speak
In the end he bound them all over to enter into their own recognizances
to keep the peace for six months This they unanimously refused to do
In default, they were committed to prison for two months m the Second
Division. They were accordingly packed off to HoUoivay in Black
Mana.

I detemuned at once that dunngmy wife’s absence her side of the wurk
should not suffer I agreed to look after the finances, and at a pubhc
meeting that very afternoon I made an appeal for funds By way of
settmg the ball roUmg I promised to contribute for every day of her
imprisonment I intended it as a public gesture, but it was as a jest that
the story went all round the world In one of the South African papers
there was even a long leading article all devoted to my promisel Later.

I was able thoroughly to enjoy the joke m>seJf, but at the moment I was
too much engros^ with other matters to care whether I had become
famous, notorious or merely ridiculous Of course the money and the
pubhaty were equally 'jam' to the WS P U

My wife’s action had other repercussions of a personal kind English
people are wont in ordinary arcumstanccs to set barriers around Uieir
emotional life, m order to fence it off from the cnticism of their fellows
But there are times when these barriers are broken down, and I found that
this was happening now Mr Cobden Sanderson came and literally fell
on my neck My wife’s relatives opened out their hearts to me, and
revealed themselves in a way they had never done before Such moods
pass, but they leave permanent consequences behind Tliey give pro-
fxmdity to fncndship, and they provide a stimulus for action In the
da>’s that immediately followed I saw much of Emmeline's father, who
was with me in all that I had to do with regard to her ifer sisters and
her brothcr-m law pulled their weight on the political side

A day or two later I got pemussjon to pay a visit to my wife in Hollo-
way Gaol, a grim fortress where rules and regulations were still enforced
belonging to a b>gonc age 'To my mfimte distress I found that die was
heading straight for a nervous breakdown It was imperative that she
should be got out of prison without delay, and that could only be done if
she now gave the undtttaJang uhtcli she had originaJlv re/iued whm it
was demanded by the magistrate. I realized to the full the humiliation
that tbismvolvcd. It was indeed a case of 'new waves breaking m ere

THE SUFFRAGETTES 73

we are righted from the old' • But there was no alternative I told
Mrs Pankhurst She made at first some scornful remark about the
attitude of husbands But I said to her "Do not make U harder for me
than it must be," and she became sympathetic and helpful I took
Henry Pcthick with me to the Home Office We were allowed a further
visit to Holloway and the release was arranged A day or two later I
travelled with Emmeline to Italy, and leaving her with friends returned
myself to London to carry on her work So ended the story of my wife's
first imprisonment, the failure of which was to be so brilliantly reucemed
by her in later years, when she had won a victory over herself by conquer-
ing fear

In the months that followed I reorganized the accounting side of the
funds, and I separated off the sales of literature into a trading department
under the title of the Woman s Press (This w as in fact a misnomer, as
we never did any printing ourselves) I secured Mrs Beatrice Sanders,
wife of Alderman Sanders, afterwards a Labour M P , to act as financial
secretary to keep the bool^, and Mrs Alice Knight, a shopkeeper, to take
charge o! the Woman's Press Some 50 branclies of the W S P U
founded by the organizers had to be co-ordinated financially with head-
quarters In these and other ways I conlriv ed that the nuchmery of the
Union should keep pace with the amazingly rapid growth of the move-
ment m funds and activities My wife, on her return from Italy to take
up what might be called the civil side of the agitation, from which she was
not of course in any way precluded by the undertaking she had given,
thoroughly approved of all that I had done

I was soon to be found an additional and unique job With the
opening of 1907, w omen concentrated on securing the passage of a Suffrage
Bill during the Parliamentary session of that year The constitutional
section organized a meeting m the old Exeter Hall in the Strand, to be
reached by procession from Hyde Park The weather was bad but the
women ploughed bravely forward on their 'mud march' Arrived at the
hall, they were astonished to hear Israel ZangwilJ, the noveh«t, defending
the militants Two other distinguished writers, Elizabeth Kobms and
Evelyn Sharp, had already expressed similar views and Mrs Fawcett
hersdf , the leader of the older suffragists was generous enough to acknow-
ledge that though her own methods would be constitutional, militancy
had revivified the issue

The WS P U had been active m seeking a Government promise, but
It reserved its mam fire for the anticipated refusal From sJl over the
country women had come up to London prepared to face the triple ordeal
of buffeting in the street, arrest and imprisonment The King s Speech
was delivered on February 12 It contained no reference to Votes for
Women Next day at the Caxton Hall a Women s Parliament' assembled
and passed a resolution of protest, and deaded that it should be taken
forthwith to the House of Commons The deputation was met by a laree
body of p>ohce and turned back with some violence Fifty four women
including Mrs Despard and Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst, and two*
men were arrested and taken to Cannon Row Police Station ' There a
difficulty arose Unless thev were to be detained all night they had t*

c*

From the Miit* 0/ Evn^rirr, tranvUteii by Gilbert Murray

74 fatehasbeknkind

be let out on bail, and some person of known standing had to be found,
in adition to themselves, to go bail for them and undertake that they
would present themselves at the police court next day By common
consent I was sent for and after considerable delay the process of making
out the charges was complete, and I was free to bail them all out

The following morning I came to the Court and was allowed to go m
with them into the room where they awaited their turn I told them how
police court proceedings were conducted and advised them as to their
defence Afterwards, when sentence had been passed, I was permitted
to see them before they went away, and I had to jot down all sorts of
messages to be given to friends, and other things that had to be done
during their imprisonment Closely similar procedure was followed a few
weeks later when a Private Merabi s Bill to give votes to women, mtro-
duced by Mr W H Dickinson was talked out m the House of Commons
on March 9 Another Caxton Hall meeting sent another deputation to
Parliament, and this time 72 were arrest^ My services were again
requisitioned to bail them out and to advise them next day on the conduct
of their case

During the whole period of my connection with the W S P U I bailed
out most of the Suffragettes who were arrested m London, amountmg to
nearly a thousand m all, and it is worth putting on record that not one
of them ever attempted to escheat her bail It used to be rather a
tedious business waiting several hours m the police station, but it was
often relieved by sallies of humour between the women and their captors,
for in general, once the arrest had been effected, there was no animosity
between them The police were glad to be through with their unpleasant
duty Many of the women, to my surpuse at the tune, were singularly
debonair and gay I realiz^ afterwards that havmg cast aside tradition
and convention and having dared to take action they had broken down
life-long inhibitions and already achieved a freedom that they bad never
before known ,

The Rress devoted a great deal of space to accounts of the mihtant
activities . and while it trounced the suffragettes, using all sorts of abusive
epithets to describe them and warning them that they were ‘putting b^ck
the hands of the clock', it began m fact to deal senously with the mam
issue in a way that it had not done for many years In particular, the
morning Standard devoted one whole column every day to its discussion
On certain days this column was placed at the dwpo^ of the constitu-
tional section, on other days it was open to the militants, and finally the
din.Va'U'iS'Jgwir, mninTifwiSmir*Mw

were given an innings It was part of our claim that women's economic
position would be improved when they got the vote The anti suffra-
gists countered this by the statement that wages were not governed by
politics but by the law of supply and demand I remember that I wrote
an article pomtingout that boththesupplyof and the demand forwomen s
labour were likely to be affected by political considerations To this
there was no reiomder, and history has amply justified my assertion
Among other things all sorts of better paid jwsts then closed to women
have been opened up to them as a duect rtsult of Iheir enfranchisement
As the >cai wore on and increasing numbers of women became
members of the W S P U , ccxtam dncrgences of opinion began to nuni-

76

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

CHAPTER viy

THE TRIUMVIRATE

VoUs for Women newspaper— A hectic week— Albert Hall meetings— Demonstra

tion in Hyde Park — The Pankhursts in gaol — My wife in command My only

bnef — Growth of the W S P U — My wife s second imprisonment — ^The mill
tant campaign — The hunger strike— Winston Churchill as Home Secretary—
The Men s Political Union — By-clections — A suflragette fair — Spmt of the
militants.

Following immediately on the events described at the end of the last
chapter, I founded the newspaper Voles for Women It commenced as a
threepenny monthly with a cover on which was a cartoon of a woman
brooding over the House of Commons After six months I brought it
out weekly at id , and it grew rapidly m size, circulation and advertise-
ment revenue Women wearing special sashes sold it at meetings and at
street comers all over Britam Supporters of the movement made a
practice of doing all their shopping with firms who advertised in its
columns

My wife and I were joint editors She signed her contributions to its
columns, while I wrote the unsigned notes of the week and some of'the
leading articles Christabel generally had a political point she specially
wished to drive home, while Sylvia wrote a history of the suffrage move-
ment But the special feature of the paper, unusual for a weekly journal,
was Its ‘hot’ news of what had just happened, was happening, or was
planned to happen in the immedute future This natur^ly enhanced its
interest for members of the Union and for the general public , but it meant
extra hard work to get the paper to press Thus after a raid’ on Parlia-
ment, with Its sequel of police court proceedings, whole pages of copy had
to be written up and despatched in haste to the printer so that that very
night they might be on the rotary machine for the issue next day I
made a point ofseeing the paper to press myself, so that, from April zqqS to
my imprisonment in igi2, it was only on the rarest occasions that I could
absent myself from the office for more than two or three days at a time
The expansion of the movement was jjarticularjy rapid during the
winter of 1907 8 Additional organizers were being constantly appointed
to carry on the propaganda in every part of the country Subscriptions
to the funds were coming m in increasmg volume A three-days 'Women s
Fariiamenf’wasfomeetin fedruaryaf 6hfCaxtfurr^&iV, amf irmsnVweve'
antiapated The Union was holding its first Albert Hall meeting m
March, and 7000 tickets for it had to be sold Preparations had also to
be made for the monster demonstration m Hjde Park m June

It so happened that at this time of special pressure Mrs Sanders, the
finanaal secretary, met with a street accident whidi incapacitated her
for some weeks Her assistant had given notice a few days before that
she was leaving for another job I took over the book-keeping m>>clf
and found to my dismay that it was considerably m arrears^^ Wule I
was struggling with it, someone came in to tell me that Mrs, Knight, the
efficient secretary of the Woman's Press lud got pleurisy Sorry as I
was for her personally, I laughed outright at the news There seemed

THE TRIUMVIRATE

nothing else to do Mrs Knight, tf she reads these lines, will understand
and forgive me

We got It all straightened out somehow, but when it was at its worst,
Mrs Pankliurst and some 6o other women were arrested I bailed them
out m the evening, and after rising at six next day, and putting in three
hours’ work m the office, I rushed off to the police court to give general
advice and assistance There I met an indignant husband of one of the
prisoners who asked mo why I bad not acted on a letter he had posted to
me the night before I told him I had not yet had time to read my morn-
ing's post "Most unbusinesslike,' was his infuriated comment. After
that, 1 doubled the office staff and impressed on them all that they must
never get into arrears again If they reported that they were becoming
overworked I would always appoint additional help They took me at my
word and during the next four ycarsa further threefold increase took place

Our first Albert Hall meeting in March 1908 was a huge success
Mrs Pankhurst, freshly released from prison, received a great ovation
when she took the chair My wife — 'the most persuasive beggar in
London' as she was sometimes called — secured a total collection in
promises and cash of no less than £7000 Christabcl made a great
political speech But the internal organization of the meeting left room
for a good deal of improvement Scores of women had been simulta-
neously charged wathstcwording, taking thecoUection selling the literature
and disposing of tickets for future meetings and each hid to take her
individual instructions from the organizer-m chief, Mrs Drummond In
so vast a place as the Albert Hall this had involved considerable delay
and some confusion So after the meeting was over we worked out a
plan for future occasions, dividing up the helpers according to the func-
tions to be performed, subdividing them (or the different parts of the Hall,
and appointing intermediate officers between Mrs Drummond and the
rank and file It all worked splendidly when the time came

In succeeding years we us^ to meet m the Albert Hall in March, May
and October. On these occasions all parts of the Hall were packed,
and once we had to have an overflow m the Kensington Town Hall
Until the histone meeting of October 1912, when she appeared alone,
Mrs Pankhurst always had wath her her daughter Christabel and my wife
and one or two other speakers There were no microphones m those
days, and from the top gallery the figures on the platform looked incred-
ibly small and far away, yet, by speaking slowly and refraining from
turning to the right or the left, they made themselves clearly heard
Mmglmg wnth the crow d coming out it was interesting to realize that each
of the leaders had her own particular attraction and following But by
common consent the most excitmg part of the meeting was the collec-
tion My wnfe had been busy prepanng for it weeks m advance, WTilme
endless personal letters to secure promises of money As these amounts
were read out one by one the enthusiasm of the audience grew and
streams of promise-cards rolled up to the platform and were announced
They w ere then handed o\ cr to the auditor of the
and to our financial staff to be counted. A great
the growing figures Fmally the collection was
amount was announced at the end of the meeting

I have already made reference to the monster demonstraUoa m Hyde

^ V* bayers,

^rmg-board chronicled

taken and the complete

78 FATEIIASBEENKIND

Park m June 1908 It was organized m response to the challenge by
hostile politicians to show public support comparable to that accorded
to other extensions of the franchise in times past So the plans were
ambitiously laid to surpass all of them by a wide margin. There were no
less than twenty platforms with four women speakers on each. In the
centre of the site, theiroof of a furniture van served as a 'connmg-tower ' '
from which to direct the proceeding Bugles sounded for speaking to
begin, and again for the resolution to be put at the end, simultaneously
from all platforms But the special feature of the demonstration was that '
instead of a single procession, from the Embankment or some other
central startmg-pomt, there were seven separate processions from dif-
ferent parts of London all converging on the park These processions
were m turn fed not merely by residents m the neighbourho<xl of the
particular line of loute, but by people from all over the country who had
been brought by some 30 special trams to the various London termini
It was great fun organizing the demonstration and advertising it
For weeks previously enormous posters appeared on the hoardings with
hfe-size portraits of the twenty women chairmen For the day itself
nothing was left to change Each of the processions was divided into
sections and for each section there was a ^oup captain to see that the
iotm-up and marching order were correct, and a banner captam to see
that the banners were all being earned Over these were a group marshal,
a banner marshal and a chief marshal for each procession, and in charge
of them all was ‘General’ Drummond, whose title was first given her on
this occasion There were station stewards and park steward, and there
were chief stewards whose sole business it was to see that their subordi-
nates earned out their duties correctly I left plenty of time, an hour
for the form-up, half an hour for every mile of the route, and an hour for
the tail of the procession to reach its platform inside the park »

The police fully entered into the spirit of the demonstration Realiz-
ing, as much as we did, the enormous numbers hkely to be involved, they
recognized the danger of any untoward incident, and co-operated tvith us '
m every way to avert it Once when the park authorities were proving
difficult about the removal of certain railings, which I feared might be a
death trap, Mrs Drummond went to the head of the police to get his help ,
and every railing marked on a plan whith I had given her to show him
was taken up before the day The police rode at the head of the pro-
cessions, and led them in at the various gates of the park, their simul-
taneous arrival at the site was an unfeigned satisfaction to those of us who
.sJKs.'Jjd i.hf.tci irmn Jdic ‘mnning-tower'

It was admitted on all «;ides that the numbers who came to the park
that day were greater than had ever been gathered together before on
any one spot in the whole history of the world The Times correspon-
dent referring to them used these words 'Like the distances and numbers
of the Stars, the facts were bejond the threshold of perception " MTiole
streets came out to watch, and earned away by the general enthusiasm,
went without their Sunday dinner and inarched with the women Hung
up on one of the walls of my office are two photographs. One of these is
that of the crowd round the platform at which my wife was chairman,
the other round that of Oiristabel Each alone would be counted a
magniticent audience for any ordinary demonstration.

THBTRIUMVIRATE 79

After this overwhelming evidence of public support it was hoped that
Mr. Ascjuith, who tud now become Prune Minister, would withdraw his
opposition But, like Pharaoh of old, he hardened his heart and would
not let the women have their enfranchisement Christabel, who never let
the grass grow under her feet where raihtancy was concerned, immediately
on receipt of his refusal organized another 'raid' by women on Parlia-
ment Plans were openly laid, and the public was invited to assemble
outside the House of Commons, to show their support for the uomen
‘ The actual deputation, led by Mrs Pankhurst and my wife, whose period
for bcmg bound over had now expired, was suffered to go to the House
and return , but later 27 women were arrested Of these, two, entirely on
their own initiative, went to Downmg Street and threw stones which broke
the wmdows of the Prime Mimster's house All were sent to prison

Throughout the whole summer the agitation went on At many by-
elections an active anti-Govemment policy, which I shall describe more
fully later, was put into effect There were also the usual protests at
meetmgs and other propaganda But one demonstration in London was
almost in the nature of a piouc The proprietors of the Earl s Court
Exhibition made a busmess arrangement with us to hold a gala day there
at the end of July So our meml^rs turned up in the purple, white and
green of the W S P U . and large numbers of the public came to see them,
and to hsten to the speeches which were delivered from several platforms
in the evenmg As a result many new members enrolled, and there was a
useful addition to the funds

With October came the reassembly of Parliament and another raid
on It by the women, announced m a handbill callmg on the people of
London 'to help the women to rush the House of Commons' This bJl
made history, because Mrs Pankhurst, Christabel and Genexal’ Drum-
mond were arrested for publishmg it The sensation of the trial was the
brilliant exammation by Christalwl of Mr Lloyd George and Mr Herbert
Gladstone, whom she subpoenaed to attend as witnesses, owing to
the fact that they had been present m Parliament Square on the night
during the demonstration But this did not affect the final result All
the three women were sent to prison and with them went about 24 others
who had taken their part on the mght m question My wife ^one of
the leaders, was left to conduct the agitation, with such help as I could
give her, for the rest of that year

I was at first a little anxious as to whether she would stand the strain
But she rose triumphantly to the occasion She had already exhibited
her remarkable power of impressing her personality on an audience
The night the Pankhursts had been arrest^ she was billed to take the
chair at a meeting of women WTien she arrived on the scene, she found
that a number of medical students had broken into the hall and occupied
all the seats with a view to preventing the meeting from taking place
My wife calmly mounted the platform and after giving them a short
address on human liberty called on them, as men, not to stand m the way
of women securing their emancipation Pomtmg to a student at the end
of the front row, she asked him to get up and go out He did sol The
others followed the women came m, and the meeting went forward as
arranged 1

Shortly before these events in London, Mr Asquith and Mr Herbert

So FATE HAS BEEN KIND

aadslone had held a political meeting m the Coliseum m Leeds Suf-
fragettes, led by one of the W S P U organizers, Mrs Baines, had staged
a denionstra^tion in the street outside She was arrested and charged
with illegal assembly and not This meant a trial before a judge and jury
for the first time m the course of our campaign Christabel begged me
therefore to defend Mrs Baines and if possible to secure the attendance
of the two Cabinet Ministers as witnesses Until then I had never
practised as a barrister, but I promised to do what I could Proceeding
to Leeds, I saw the local solicitor instructingme, who pointed out that the
Coliseum had glass doors at the street end, and that, if there had been a
not m the street outside, persons seated on the platform (at the other
end) could not fail to be aware of it He therefore suggested to me that
subpoenas could legitimately be served on Mr AsqmthandMr Gladstone,
and I accordingly arranged that this should be done

Mr Asquith, however, obtained a rule ntst m the High Court to set
the subpoenas aside, on the ground that they were frivolous, and I was
summoned back to London to plead that they should stand Both the
Attorney-General and the Solicitor General appeared against me I
argued that there was no precedent for setting aside a subpoena in criminal
proceedings, and that I ought not to be called upon to 'show cause' for
not doing so, as this would be to compel me to disclose my defence in
advance of the trial of my client The judges overfeed this preliminary
objection, and 1 proceeded to justify the subpoenas on the ground referred
to in the previous paragraph, and supported my case by an affidavit
from a man who had himself sat on the platform Though there had been
no evidence rebutting my affidavit, they 'said they did not believe it
Mr Justice Bigham, m announcing the decision, said that it was not due
to the exalted position of the Ministers, Mr Justice Walton concurruig
said that other people who idid not want to appear a« witnesses must not
think they could get similar reliefl The Daily Telegraph reported my
speech verbatim and cut down that of the Attorney-General to a short
paragraph I

In consequence of this decision the actual trial at Leeds lost its
dramatic interest But Mrs Baines won fhe sympathy of those present
in the Court by her quiet dignity and when, after a verdict of guilty by
the jury, the judge ordered her to be bound over and she refused and was
sent to prison, admiration of her courage was freely expressed Some
attempt was made to disbar me for my conduct over the subpoenas, but
nothing came of it

When the Pankhursts and Mrs Drummond were released at the end
of the year they were given a tremendous welcome, which took the form
of a public breakfast attended by 500 persons They then learnt of the
enormous progress that the movement had recently made The pub
licity given in the press to the trial had been turned to good account in
many ways Membership subscriptions and literature sales had mounted
Also the man, as well as the woman in the street had begun to discuss
not merely the unusual methods of the suffragettes but the stupidity of
the Liberal Government m resistmg their demand Nevertheless the
King s Speech m February 1909 made no reference to the subject of votes
for women, and another raid was planned

This time my wife decided to face arrest and imprisonment herself

THE TRIUMVIRATE 8l

With her to Parliament Square went a band of some s8 women, including
a new recruit. Lady G)nstance Lytton. whose family was connected with
most of the leading politicians of the day After some buffeting in the
Square all the women were arrested At the police court next day my
wife got two months in default of finding sureties to keep the peace The
others got one month To my infinite relief, she served her sentence with
great serenity, and on her release was able to make a powerful speech at
the welcome breakfast given in her honour at the Whamchffe Rooms
Six hundred people were present, and the gift to her of a motor car with
a W S P U monogram on the door was announced Meanwhile, I had
been made Joint Treasurer of the Union, and thus for the first time occu-
pied an offiaal place m the organization

Sylvia Pankhurst, m her book The Suffragette M ovement, and my wife,
in her book My Part tn a Changing World, have told the story of the years
that followed in some detail I do not propose to repeat what they have
written But I will describe m broad outline the mam activities of the
agitation and their development during the succeeding years I will
explain, too, the part that I played m them, and how it led up to the con-
spiracy trial and my imprisonment in 1912

First and foremost were the 'raids' on Parliament, to several of which
I have made reference already They took place every few months in
order to protest against repeated refusals by the Government to en-
franchise women Our mam plans were pubhshed in advance because
wide public support was required I was never myself an eye witness of
any of these raids, having to remam at the office waiting on the telephone
But the women used to tell me that the crowds were almost universally
friendly and that the police, with certam exceptions did their duty with-
out undue violence Nevertheless it was the nuiutes before arrest that
made the greatest demand on the physical courage of the suffragettes
They were borne forwards and backwards, often pummelled and lacked,
and sometimes flung on the ground As a result, several women received
permanent injuries, and at least one died from the effects of her treat-
ment

The window bteakmg campaign, which was a feature, of the later
raids, arose as a spontaneous outburst of women who were not prepared
to be knocked about poor to arrest It ivas a short and simple act of
defiance which resulted immediately m bemg marched off to the pohee-
station It had the further advantage that in general it was pimished
directly by fine or imprisonment Instead of by bmdmg over with the
alternative of a long sentence (technically given for contempt of Court)
At first Christabel frowned on these more violent methods but later they
were recognized and planned I even remember going with her one dark
evemng to a country lane and selecting a bag of suitable missiles I

I used to have a busy time at the police court on the days following a
raid The police collected together in a big room all the suffragettes
whom I had bailed out overnight, and I gave them an address on how the
proceedmgs were likely to be conducted Then I answered mividual
questions and finally received all sorts of messages for relatives Afto ^
that I went into the court itself and listened to the cases of the ordinal

82 FATEHASBEENKIND

prisoners which preceded those of the suffragettes I cannot say I was
favourably impressed No doubt the magistrates had every wish to be
fair No doubt most of the prisoners were guUty and as anxious as
everyone elsetoget the matter settled expeditiously But the exceptional
case arose from time to time, and then the rapidity of the proceedings
and the assumption that the police were probably right told heavily against
the prisoner if undefended by counsel I remember in particular one
woman who, by sheer inadvertence, was never informed when it was her
right to speak, and who was sentenced and hurried off to the cells railing
out between her sobs, “But I have never had a chance to state my easel '

When It came to the suffragettes, the magistrates had a very difficult
task because they were confronted with something they did not under
stand If they had done so, it might not have made any difference to the
sentences, but at least they would have omitted the little homilies which
fell on such very deaf ears As it was, the proceedings were something of
a farce 3fost of the suffragettes did not trouble to dispute the pohee
evidence even when it was inaccurate But I shall never forget the
violent reaction of one little lady to a remark by the constable who had
arrested her “At this point, * he testified, ' the prisoner waved her
arms about, and turning to the crowd said to them, Come on, boys ' “
“I never said that," she exclaimed “I should never have dreamed of
addressmg the crowd as hoys ’ Her indignation could not be appeased
She had been prepared to be buffeted m Parliament Square to be taken
into custody, to be brought before a magistrate, to serve a sentence in
prison, but to be told in public that she bad called out, ‘ Come on. boys,"
to the crowd was an unforgetable insult A year later, when I met her,

It was still rankUng

The suffragettes pned into many dark places m the prisons through-
out the country, and when they came out they told the public all about
them “I had an insect," said one woman, referring to the condition of
her cell “I called bun ‘Asquith’ ' Others had more senous criticisms
Under this exposure some general reforms took place, and the suffragettes
in particular got better treatment, but they were not accorded the status
of pohtical prisoners Miss Wallace Dunlop was the first to rebel agauist
this refusal fay the adoption of the hunger strike She was alternately
cajoled and threatened , but she remained firm and was ultimately released
long before her sentence was due to expire Many prisoners thereafter
followed her example, but no pressure to do so was exerted on them by
headquarters They generally secured early release but in one case that
1 remember, a woman went witbowt food lot an incsedible nnmbts of
days, before the fact was discovered and she was set at liberty

After a time the Government gave instructions that the prisoners on
hunger-strike should be fed by force, a procedure which I will describe
later on as it was applied to m3reelf This roused passionate opposition
from our members and a considerable protest from the general public,
but the Government persisted, and won a case which had been t^en to
the Courts to test its legality Lady Constance Lytton hunger struck in
prison but was released at once on doctor's orders' She therefore dis
guised herself as Jane Warton, a working woman, and got arrested again
This time she was forably fed with considerable violence After she had
described the divergence between her experiences on the two occasions,

84 FATEHASBEENKIND

intrepidity They were almost invariably ejected wth great violence,
and suffered acutely, at the time and afterwards, from the effects Natur-
ally the organizers of the meetings adopted all sorts of means to prevent
this nuisance They issued tickets to ‘safe people’, but even then 'the
voice' would often be heard emanating from some unexpected place,
maybe from the.roof, from under the platform, or from the organ loft
Sometimes the suffragettes intercepted the Mimster on his entrance or
his exit “By God, they’ve got himl" ejaculated a colonel once who, as
host, had driven his distinguished guest to the hall by by-ways, only to
encounter the suffragettes at the end of the journey

It is only fitting that I should pay a tribute here to a courageous band
of men supporters, who took it on themselves to go to meetings to stand
by the women, and to question Ministers themselves when women failed
to gam admission They were organized by my friend Victor Duval m
the ‘Mens Political Union’ This self-imposed task often subjected
them to personal violence and sometimes to imprisonment, but they per
severed with it unflinchingly The M P U membership included many
men distinguished m hterature and the arts Prominent among these
was Henry Nevmson, whose friendship I highly prized

Unlike the militant methods which I have just been describing, the
special by election policy of the W S P U involved neither disorder nor
illegality Nevertheless it constituted a new departure in political strat-
egy which at first startled and confused many of our friends The older
suffrage societies, if they took any part at all in election contests, con-
tented themselves with approaching the local candidates, and giving their
support to that one who answered their questions most Taiourably
Christabel considered this as sham fighting and a proved failure * It
was the Government alone, she pomtel out, with whom the decision
rested, so long as its veto held, no amount of 'favourableness' on the part
of pnvate Members would be of any avail Therefore, at elections, the
forces of the Union and the columns of Vo(fs for Women were deployed
m a campaign, not in support of any one of the candidates, but m oppo-
sition to the Government nominee, whatever his individual vieH3 might be
Of course, when the man to be attacked was himself an opponent it
was easy, but when he proclaimed himself a supjjorter, and still more when
other su&age societies put m an appearance to back him up, the policy
required considerable explanation Nevertheless, I am as convinced
today as I was then that Christabel was right I am equally satisfied
that it appreaably affected the voUng, and sometimes was the determin-
ing factor m the result It was not only that the women speakers won
many direct supporters by their combination of logic, wit, and charm,
they also punctured badly the case the Government were then making
against the House of Lords, based on its unrepresentative character
This fact was frequently acknowledged at the time by the Press, and I
remember in my own neighbourhood an elderly farmer specially asking
me to procure for him twelve large favours of our Union, for lumscif and
his fnends to wear on election day

Running parallel with all these activities the \V S P U carried on an

• lo teveral suceruive PuluineitU there bad b««n In all partln a number ol ruppoet'n
ol woroea s ealranchiietneat. Cut they bad laoily aequieaced tn it e cjutalioo Uin*ahd»od.

THE TRIUMVIRATE 85

enormous educational campaign In addition to the three meetings a
year in the Albert Hall and our regular Monday afternoon At Homes in
the Queen's Hall and Thursday evening meetings m the Portman Rooms,
all the largest halls in the country were taken from time to time for our
principal speakers, and some 200 lesser meetings per week were addressed
by our organizers and the rank and file Every year our London pro-
cessions grew in numbers and m brilliant pageantry On the last occasion
that I remember, in 1911, when all the other suffrage societies 3omed
foices with us, the form up five abreast occupied the whole length of the
Embankment from Westminster to Blackfriars and the procession took
three hours to pass a given point, so that its tail did not reach the Albert
Hall until after the meeting had already been concluded

By way of light diversion the Union took the Princes Skating Rink
in Kmghtsbridge, and organized there a fortnight’s fair Sylvia Pank-
hurst exhibited her artistic genius by making for it a special stencilled
frieze which ran all round the building, and was greatly adnured Harry
Lauder, a loyal supporter of the sufoagettes, came and patronized the
hat stall The Actresses’ Franchise iJeague co-operated with us, and
together with their male confrires did a number of 'shows' for the aid of
the funds Of course all the leaders were present m person, and I remem-
ber two girls asking me if I would introduce them to Mr<; Pankhurst
When I did so they rather shamefacedly preferred her an odd request
“Would you very much rmnd,” they said, ' if we might look at your
feet?" “My feetl" said Mrs Pankhurst, slightly raismg her long skirt
so that they could see them "There," said one girl to the other, "our
shop-mates were all wrong when they said the sufiragettes had large feet
Hers are unusually smalll"

In the early days of the organization a great deal of the clerical work
was done by devoted voluntary workers In one or two instances the
pathetic inexperience of the sheltered' woman betrayed itself One of
them was given a directory and asked to address envelopes to alt the women
in a certain street Looking through them afterwards Miss Kerr, the
manager of the general office, discovered that a ' JIrs Vacant’ appeared to
occupy a considerable number of the houses’ One subscriber, sendmg a
postal order, ruled two neat little bnes and put a tmy 'and Co not on
the order, but on the outside of the envelope The honorary secretary,
Mrs Mabel Tuke, had a flair for makmg contacts both by interview and
corcespondeorje^ which, generallv penned with her own hand, but
once an uncompleted circular was sent out over her signature and drew
the following response

"Dear,

"I address you as I was addressed Seemg that I am a smgle
man living in one room, the hospitality you request for your lady
delegate might not be acceptable if provided! But I am a friend of
your cause and enclose 5s for you to obtam it elsewhere ”

Later, more political duties were found for the \oluntary workers, and
the clerical work was performed by a paid staS who came to number
nearly sixty persons, some of whom took over most responsible tasks
I remember, for instance, that an elaborate H>de Park demonstration

86 fatekasbeenkind

was organized almost unaided by three girls who had only a year before
been a typist, a cashier m a shop, and a junior secretary respectively
Headqu^ters office expanded till it occupied thirty seven rooms in
Clement's Inn Votes for Women attained a circulation of nearly 50,000
copies, w hile the Woman's Press moved out to a shop at the top of Charing
Cross Road where the clock was installed whose hour numbers originally
spelt out its title and which still can be seen there with different
lettering

It IS perhaps not surprising that the direction of t^is campaign m its
totality occupied nearly all the waking hours of Chnstabel, my wife, and
myself I never left the office for a short walk without on my return
being pounced on simultaneously by three or four people, each insistent
on having some knotty point resolvM Emmehne and Chnstabel had the
greatest difficulty in finding time to prepare their speeches or write their
articles for the paper We never had any formal committee meeting,
but generally I had to make an appointment even with my own wife if I
wished to discuss anything 0/ moment with her, and it was only at the
week end in my country house that the three of us had enough leisure
to thrash out together any compheated problem

But of course it was the splendid women who constituted the organ-
izers and the rank and file of the movement on whom the brunt of the
daily battle fell They included among them many of the foremost
women of the day — artists, musiaans, doctors, authors, actresses, and
women of high social standing They faced physical injury and un
pnsonment and, m addition, a social ostracism of which the leaders,
surrounded as we were by a circle of admiring supporters, were almost
unconscious Ungrudgingly they put aside all considerations of self to
further the common endeavour, and m so doing they achieved as a society
a degree of concentration which I ha\e never seen equalled in any move-
ment m my lifetime

I doubt whether future generations, who may read in cold print the
story of the suffragettes, will ever fully comprehend the measure of en
thusiasm which the campaign engendered Still less, I fancy, will they
understand the exuberant gaiety which permeated all ranks, m spite 01
the serious nature of the issue and of the sacrifices which individuals bad
to make for its realization One explanation is that it was in very truth
a case of ‘youth knoclang at the door’, which was not belied by the prt
sence of a few grey haired veterans who belonged to the raziks of tie
eternally young Like Wagner’s hero Siegfried, the suffragette had still
the song of the bird ringing in her ears when she went forth to slay her
dragon

The other explanation is more subtle The phrase 'Government rttt»
on the consent of the governed' is usually interpreted to convey the idea
that a State ought to be run on democratic lines But it has in fact a
much wider significance Wlienever mthin a community any section
withholds its consent from the basis of the existing constitution, it thereby
forms an enclave, throughout which the writ of the Coieniment does
not run To Chnstabel and her followers the suffragette, by her act
of militant defiance, had placed herself in rebellion against existing
authority For her the 'subjection of women' about which John Stuart
Mill wrote had ceased to exist In spirit she was already free

PRISON

S7

CHAPTER IX

PRISON

Periods q( truce—Reaewal q£ militaacy — My arrest (or conspiracy — Evelyn Sharp
— A night at Bow Street — Police court proce^ings — On remand — Unde
Edwin — Frayed nerves— A visit to Chnstabel m Pans — Tnal at the Old Baiiey
— ^Tim Healy — ^My address to the jury — Verdict — A fnendly nder — Sentence—
Wonnwood Scrubs — Bnxton — tafe in prison — Politick status — Hunger
Stake-Forcible feeding — Release

There were two periods ot truce during the nuhtant campaign The
first was in 1910 and lasted for nme mon&s It arose out of an attempt
by Lord Lytton Mr Btailsford, and other Liberals to frame a measure
more acceptable to their Party than the one clause Bill demanded by
all suffragists, which would have given women the franchise 'on the same
terms as it is or may be granted to men' The new measure was known
as the ‘Concihation Bill', and mordernot to queer the pitch for its discussion
the W S P U agreed temporarily to lay aside mihtant action Mr.
Asquith provided two days m July for the second reading, which was
carried by 299 votes to 1S9, but he refused time for further stages, and
militancy was resumed

In 19XZ the Conciliation Bill was reintroduced Hith shgbt modifica*
tions It passed its second reading on May 5 by 255 votes to 88 Mr
Lloyd George then stated on behalf of the Government, that, though
they were not prepared to find further time for it in 2911, they Hould
provide a whole week m 29x2 with satisfactory closure facihties The
W S P U viewed this deferred promise with considerable misgiving,
but when Mr Asquith wrote to Lord Lytton saying that it would be
kept 'in the spirit as well as in the letter Christabel rather reluctantly
consented to a second penod of truce, during which even the anti-Govem-
ment by election policy was suspended- r

On November 7, however, Mr Asquith announced that m igia he
would inmself introduce a Manhood Suffrage Bill This Bill, he said,
would not include women, but an amendment could be moved to bnng
them m He added that it would be left to a free v ote of the House, and
that as the Cabinet was itself divided on the question the constitutional
practice of jomt Cabinet responsibihty would be waived Tlus an-
nouncement came as a great shock to those who bad trusted to the good
faith of the Prune Slimster, for it dearly put the Conciliation Bill com-
pletely out ot the picture, and thereby broke the spint of the promise
made earlier in the year It is true that Mr Asqmth proposed a substi-
tute procedure But the W S P U recognized at once (correctly, as the
sequd was to show) that this further promise was quite worthless In-
dignation was general among women, and many new recruits jomed the
militant section

In order to allay this disquiet, Mr Asquith, for the first time, con-
sented to receive on November 17 a deputation from the W S P U m
conjunction with other suffrage soaeties Chnstabd and my lAife le.
presented the Union and put our case, but they secured no maten 1
advance from him or from Mr Lloyd George, who was also present

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

Accordingly, they announced the end of the truce, and on the following
Tuesday my wife led another protest demonstration to the House of
Commons, when she and 219 other women and three men were arrested
and sent to prison My wife's sentence was one month without the
option of a fine, but owing to an irr^ulanty in her trial a wnt of a cer-
horart was applied for and a nda ntst was granted and she was released
on bail •

The following spring still larger and more violent demonstrations
took place On March 1 Mrs Pankhurst and Mrs Tuke, the honorary
secretary of the Union, dehberately broke Government windows m Down
ing Street Three days later, some 260 other women broke, with hammers,
plate-glass windows in many of the principal thoroughfares of London
This was the first time that private property had been deliberately
attacked, and a new note ofihostility against the militants was soimded
in the Press and elsewhere Emboldened by this attitude, the Govern
ment decided to deliver a blow at the very centre of the mihtant agitation,
which they hoped would smash it once and for all and bring to an
end, at the same time, their own embarrassment over the suffrage
question

On the night of March 4 I had orgamzed bailing arrangements for the
contmgents of women brought m to the various police stations, adjacent
to the scenes of their operations Next morning I had attended one
of the police courts, and after that I had to write up the whole story for
the columns of Votes for Women I was still engaged on this task late
in the evening in my office in Clement’s Inn, when there was an unex
pected knock at the door A police superintendent entered, and told me
that he had a warrant for my arrest I was to be charged with con
spiracy Chnstabel and my wife were also to be arrested Afrs Pank
hurst and Mrs Tuke, already m custody, made up the number of our
co-conspirators He took me upstairs to my flat, where we found my
wife but not Christabel who had for several months past ceased to reside
there

Some such frontal attack on our organization had long been anti
cipated by us We had foreseen that it would give our agitation a new
significance In place of the pretence that it was all a matter of petty
disorder, to be decided in the police courts there would be the recogni-
tion that It was a political rebellion, the larger issues of which could not
be excluded from the hearing of the case In our view, the gam to the
movement from this new orientation was likely far to exceed any loss

Jy'vthn.teninn^ay'.’isnuvia'jif Ahe.teadecs
Personally, I had often wondered whether the Government, if they
took action of this kind, would include me within the net, and if so
whether there were any steps I ought to take in advance to ensure the
continuous running of my side of the work As to the business control
of the organization, I felt pretty confident that it could get on very well
without me — at any rate for a time I was less happy about the editor-
ship of Votes for Women, wluch I realized required technical experience

• This had rather a cunous sequel The case finally went against her but in Sfuto of
this there appeared to the Crown solicitc* no means ol sending b« to prison an^t
liberty she would therefore have remained but te the fact that she bad by that time b*e“
arrested again on a new charge

PRISON 89

in addition to political judgment The one person who I knew possessed
all the qualihcations was Evelyn Sharp, the novelist I had debated m
my own mind whether I should approach her and put the hypothetical
position before her I had decid^ not to do so, preferring to wait till
the event, when I felt sure that she would be unable to refuse But I
had not foreseen that the police would come for me late at night, on the
day before the paper went to press, and that I might have no means of
commumcatmg with her While I was considering what to do about it
there was another knock at the door and m walked Evelyn Sharp! She
had come by chance to discuss an entirely different matter The police
allowed us a few words together, and the question of the paper was
speedily settled

Her visit had another, even more important, result On leaving
Cement’s Inn she went straight to Oiristabel's fiat to give her the news
Without a moment’s delay 1 Christabel got up and went out After
takmg refuge with a friend that night she left next day for France,
where she was to remain, except for one memorable occasion, till the
outbreak of war in 1914 It has always been a puzzle to me why the
pohce did not have Evelyn Sha^p followed. I can only suppose that
they felt so sure that Christabel was in Clement s Inn that they thought
it unnecessary In consequence of this mistake. Christabel was left hee
to direct the affairs of the Union at a very critical time, and one of the
mam objects of the Government m initiating the conspiracy trial was
defeated

Emmelme and I were taken to the pohce station which adjoins the
Court in Bow Street I knew it well, for it was there that most of the
suffragettes had surrendered to their bail prior to their appearance in
court Police stations, for the most part, have no proper accommo^
tion for the detention of prisoners during the night, and Bow Street was
no exception to this rule This ought surely to be remedied if persons
are m fact to be detained there Even > m'»ipfartor is entitled to a place
where he can lay his head with some chance of sleep, and an unconvicted
prisoner, who has to face his accusers m court next day, ought not to be
expected to sit up all night However, so far as we were concerned, every-
thing was made easy News of our arrest had quickly spread and a
fnendly M P arranged with a hotel to supply not> only food but even
beds and bedding, and the police did everything in their power to make
us comfortable

But I was too excited to get much sleep A stream of mixed emotions
flooded my bram Predominant was the ^nse of exultation in the ad
venture on which I had been summoned to embark. Not once, but
many times I had taken farewell of my wife and friends when they had
set out on a similar journey Now this experience was to come to me I
was to be no longer shut off m General Headquarters, but right up m the
front line, sharing its dangers and exatements with the rank and file of
my women comrades There ivas a fascination, a kind of fearful joy
in facing the unknown and in surrendering to others the ordenng of my
ways Some future generation bom and bred in security and living out
its life m unchallenged freedom may not find it easy to appreciate mv
frame of mmd But this present generation whose sons and daughters
are going out, m the cause of human liberty, to meet penis and hardships

9° FATE HAS BEEN KIND

nime, and glorying m thftm, will have no such

The hearings m the police court lasted three weeks My liankers,
my printers, my landlord and others with whom I had had dealings told
the magistrates what sort of life I had lived Their evidence was supple-
mented by a selection of letters and papers, taken from our flat offices
by the police There seemed scarcely anything relevant or irrelevant
that I had done or said or written in the last few years that was not
brought out It was a veritable day of judgment But for all its solem
mty the lighter side kept constantly commg m Someone had written
to us su^esting that we should adopt a cipher giving each of the Cabinet
Mmisters an amusing pseudonym This little jest was treated m all
seriousness by the prosecuting attorney But he certainly surpassed
himself when, referring to the suffragettes generally, he said to the magis-
trate “But for the prisoners in the dock, these women mtghi have led
comparaiively respectable lives *' I had every desire to conform to the
decorum of the Court, but when I thought of all the women m our move
meat — ^women of character and dignity, women of title and social stand-
ing, of the little lady who would not have dreamed of saying "Come on,
BOYS", to the crowd — I was convulsed with uncontroliable laughter

So long as the police court proceedings lasted, the magistrate refused
to grant us bail and sent us to prison 'on remand' I went to Bnxton and
En^elmc to Holloway On the days when our case was beard at Bow
Street we were taken to and fro by the police m cabs, and greeted each
other at the police station In Brixton 1 lived the life of the ordmary
'remand' prisoners who wore their own clothes, exercised together could
buy their own food from outside and receive daily letters and visitors,
but were otherwise subject to the same prison disciplme as were those who
were serving a sentence I have never ceased to regard this practice as a
quite imjustiflable anomaly but up to now it has defied the march of
progress, the only improvement being that it is today impressed on all
magistrates that it should only be in exceptional cases that reasonable
bail should be refused

One of my visitors at Bnxton ivas my Uncle Edwin I had met
him from tune to tune over business matters, but otherwise he had kept
away from me ever smee our meeting m the days of the Boer War, which
I have described in an earlier chapter Now that it seemed to him that
I was m trouble, and m a sense even m disgrace, he could stay away no
longer Though entirely disapproving of ray views, he did not utter one
word of criticism On the contrary he assured me that he had complete
faith m my sincerity, and that he had wntten to the Governor of the
prison a letter embodying that idea He even went so far as to confid®
to me his view that m promotmg militancy I was providentially in-
spired, for he was convinced that it would prevent the enactment of
woman suffrage, a proposal to which he was irrevocably ©"pposedl After
that, imtil the day of his death, two years later, I was m constant touch
with this lovable old man

At the end of March the pohce-court proceedmgs came to an end
We had, of course, reserved our defence Mrs Pankhurst, my wife and I
were committed for trial, while Mrs Tuke, who, as the magistrate rightly
surmised, had played only a passive rhle m the organization of mihlancy,

PRISON QX

was discharged Bail was now granted to us and we were free to use as
we pleased the intervening weeks belore the case came on at the Old Bailey.
I decided to spend the Easter holiday with relations m the West of Eng-
land and later to go across to Pans m order to see Christabcl who, unknown
to the police, had taken up her residence there

On the journey to the west an incident occurred which I feel ought
not to pass unrecorded The tram was terribly full, and my wife and I
had taken first class tickets There seemed to be only one carriage with
room to spare, but an occupant of it stood in the doorway deliberately
barring entrance He had probably made up his mind that we were
third class passengers Greatly incensed and determined to get in, I
put up my atm to push, hvm aside, and my hand slipped up to his throat.
Fortunately my wife intervened, and a passing guard procured us entry
to the carnage, but when I cooled down I realued how nearly I had em-
broiled mysdf in a scene which might have had specially unpleasant
consequences, as I was out on bad on my own recognizances The fact
was, of course, that I was overwrought, and that three weeks m prison,
where all initiative is suppressed had done their deadly work in unfittmg
me for the active mtercourse and responsibilities of ordinary daily life
in the outside world

As to my later project, I was not quite sure that the police would
approve of my leaving the country while still on bail, and I was anxious
not to put them on the track of Cliristabels whereabouts So, instead
of starting from London and takmg the short Channel crossing to France,
I decided to drive to Newhaven and go from there by the night boat to
Dieppe I also put on unusual clothing, m case descriptions of my
appearance had been sent to the coast police 1 was rather embarrassed,
therefore, when Eva Moore, the famous actress, who was an ardent and
devoted suffragette, came across to my table m the restaurant and
addrrasing me by name gave me a incndly welcome But no ill conse-
quence followed and I spent a fe . plcavaiil days in Pans and discussed
plans of all sorts with Chnstabel Shortly after that she announced
publicly where she was living No open application was made by the
Bntish Government for her extradition Whether they made a secret
enquiry, and were told that it would not be granted 1 do not know
Meanwhile, we made all preparation for our defence We realised
the importance of having an experienced counsel in Court on our behalf,
and were, factuiwjte in. secuKin.g the. services ot Xira Hea.lv wha v;a.s. v/yt
only an eminent lawyer, but also an active Irish politician who had him-
self seen the inside of a prison, and was later to be the first Governor-
General of the Irish Free State (now Eire) This meant that one of us
had to forgo the right to cross examine witnesses and address the jury
Emmeline agreed that he should represent her thus leaving Mrs Pank-
hurst and me free to conduct our own defence The prosecution was
entrusted to Sir Rufus Isaacs so that for the second time m my Court
experience I was pitted against the Attorney General of the day

The trial began on Thursday, May 15 before Lord Coleridge and a
jury, and continued from day to day The Court was crowded out with
su&agettes and other vusitors and the newspapers gave nearly \ erbatun
reports in their columns Eacli night wc were released on bail without
formahty, and at the week end Emmeline and I went down to our country

92 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

house at Holmwood The season was exceptionally early, and I remember
noticing that the wild rose, my favourite flower, was already beginning
to m the hedgerows I wondered when I should see it again

The evidence for the prosecution followed, of course, the Ones that
Imd been laid down at the preliminary hearing at the police court, except
that the irrelevant matter, to which I had there taken exception in vain,
was now cither omitted or ruled out by the judge on our apphcation
In the nature of things, we could not oiler rebutting evidence against
facts which were many of tliem chronicled, quite openly, in the columns
of Voles for Women WJiat we tried to do si^as to bring home to judge
and jury and to the wider public outside the Court the political nature of
the case We claimed, in a word, that the disorder complained of was
the inevitable consequence of the refusal of Uic Government to deal
justly with women, and of its incitement of them to violence by con
stantly reminding them of the things which men had done wlien they were
agitating for the franchise

From the outset I regarded it as hopeless to expect the jury to return
a \ erdict of 'not guilty', and I concentrated upon trying to induce them
to add a political rider They started by bemg decidedly unsympathetic
They dedined my offer to supply them with bound volumes of Votes for
Women, which would have enabled them to follow the case more readilyi
and generally they appeared, as I watched their faces, to be uninterest^.
and probably annoyed that they had been chosen to give up so much of
their personal time to tins long case But as the trial proceeded, the
human drama gripped them, and by the time it came to the closing
speeches they did not allow a word of what was said to escape tliem

In my speccli, I explained to them that I was not only myself a
lawyer, but instinctively a law abiding person to whom disorder was
repdient I told them some of the incidents m my own life, and in those
of the two women who were with me in the dock I gave them a short
account of the history of the W S P U and of how the Government had
refused to respond to argurrent or reason, and had thereby comjjelled
women to adopt militant methods — the only weapon a voteless section
possessed I quoted some of the taunts and gibes which had been flung
at women by leading Ministers of the Government, and asked them to
consider whether these were not the real incitements to violence I
pointed out that being a man. I had not thought it my business to do
acts of militancy myself or to incite women to violence, but when women
rebelled against the Governments refusal to give them justice I bad
decided to stand by them fn so doing I befieved that f was not onfy*
furthering the cause of human hberty but also helping to prevent the
disaster of a sex war I concluded with an extract from a speech of the
great Gladstone — ^"Lf no considerations in a political crisis had been
addressed to the people of this country except to remember to hate violence
and love order and exercise patience the liberties of this country would
never have been obtained '

I had hoped to be allowed to call some evidence to testify to the
enormous political and educational activities of the Union , and a number
of distinguished men and women including Lord Rhondda, Sir John Rol
leston, M P , and Sir Edward Busk were in attendance to give it but the
judge ruled that sucli testimony was irrelevant to the issues of the case

PRISON 93

So, after moving speeches for the defence had been delivered by Mrs
Pankhurst and by Tim Healy on behalf of my wife, the Attorney-General
again addressed the Court and the judge summed up The jury were
away so long that the Attorney-General began to fear for his verdict, but
no such doubt passed through my nwnd The cause of the delay was
apparent when the jury returned and the foreman read out their verdict.
They found all three of us guilty but added these words to the judge
“We unanimously desire to express the hope that taking into considera-
tion the undoubtedly pure motives that underlie the agitation that has
led to this trouble jou will be pleased to exercise clemency and leniency
m dealing with the case” — surely the nicest rider that a jury ever attached
to an adverse verdict

My wife was now free to break her imposed silence and address the
judge before he pronounced sentence In a little gem of a speech she
urged him to recognize our inalienable right to political status, and asked
him to consider what would be the feelings of men, if the position of the
sexes were reversed and they were brought up in a Court composed
entirely of women with a woman judge He listened attentively, and
then passed sentence upon us ail of nme months in the second division,
and further ordered us to pay the costs of the prosecution People from
all parts of the Court crowded round us to shake hands and bid us good-
bye Then the warders took us below preparatory to dispatching us to
our respective prisons A few weeks later the judge s two ^ughters, who
I thmk had attended all the sittmgs of the Court, sent m their names as
members of the W S P U !

Enunehne and Mrs Pankhurst were taken once more to Holloway,
and I was sent to Wormwood Scrubs Before being separated we had
agreed as to our behaviour m prison We were, of course, entitled at once
to the benefit of Mr ChurchiU’s new rules about pnsoners 'not guilty of
moral turpitude' This 'one-and a-half class', as we had christened it,
would enable us to wear our own clothes our own food, and receive
more frequent visits and letters than ordinary second class prisoners
But we md not propose to be satisfied with anything short of full &st
division treatment, because this alone would establish our political status
We decided, however, to await the result of outside agitation before adopt-
mg the hunger-strike as a protest agamst the refusal to give it to us

When tlierefore I arrived at the prison and was told to take i^ff my
clothes and put on prison dress, I declmed to do so It was the first tune
mmy life I had flatly lefused to obey authority, backed by ovenvhelmmg
force, and I wondered what would happen next I foimd to my surprise
that authority, m the person of the warder, was equally embarrassed
with myself He contented himself with locking me m a cell and telling
me to await further orders After an hour or so, the Go\emor came and
said to me that I could wear my own clothes that night, and that he
would tell me his decision next day I was taken to a cell iviUi a planjf
bed on which I spent the night

Next mornmg the Governor came m 'all togged up' and told me that
be was gomg to the Home Office to ascertain how I was to be treated
Meanwhile I was given bread and a tm of mixed vegetables m a Lnd of
soup I had every mtention of swallowing this food, but it was so hishlv
seasoned with onions and other thmgs which I detest that my throat

94

fate has been kind

refused to carry out my orders to (&> so I was then taken to the exer
cise yard and told to waJk round by myself The place was very large and
the mam body of prisoners m prison dress was qmte a long way off Some
of them were engaged m building a wall

Presently I saw a man coming towards me m ordmary dress He was
presumably a visitmg magistrate Surveymg me through his lorgnettes,
he asked me my name and the sentence I was serving, and I duly replied
He then turned on me and said "You are a jolly lucky fellow, if I had had
to sentence you I should have given you two years " This was, of course,
a rao't improper thmg for him to say. but I had not the smallest indina
tion to argue with him, so I merely slightly bowed my head to imply
respectfully that, in such a place and at such a time, I would not question
his view This seemed to infuriate him “And as to the women you are
associated with," he said, ‘T don t know from where you have got them
all together * I bowed once more He returned to the attack agam
and agam, and so far lost his self control that the warder standing behind
him was convulsed with laughter This was the only time that anyone
insulted me in pnson, and I am still at a loss to understand why a visiting
magistrate, if indeed it was one. should have so demeaned himself

Later in the day the Governor returned and told me the treatment I
was to have, which I recognized at once as that of the one and a half
class He said that as there were no facilities for it at Wormwood
Scrubs I w as to be sent to Enxton next day In the meantime, he would
have me put m hospital So that night 1 slept m a sort of small donni
tory and was given different food

I never expected to enjoy a journey m a four wheeled cab as much as
I enjoyed the drive across ^ndon next day It took an immense tune,
because neither the warder nor the driver nor the horse had the smallest
inclination to hurry As for myself, the whole time was taken up m read*
mg my post, which would not nonnally have been given to me until the
expiry of ray sentence It included, m addition to all sorts of letters, the
newspaper accounts of the last day of our trial, the leading articles upon
the case, and some criticisms of the sentence I had only just finished
the last of these cuttmgs when we were driven through the famihar gates

of Bnxton gaol

Arrived at the reception centre, I said, choosing my words very care-
fully, that I did not propose to give up my watch, ring or pen This
brought the Governor on to the scene He read over the rules to me once
more and added, ' So >ou see if you do not obey the regulations you wih
forfeit jour privileges ” I looked him straight between the eyes and
• I think you taow that what I do, I do purely as a matter of prm
aple " "Yes, I know that," he said, in an entirely altered tone, which he
always used thereafter m speaking to me. I realized then how impossible
It IS for anyone, favoured by fortune as I had been all my li/e, to experi-
ence m full the humiliation which comes to the poor and downtrodden

when placed in externally identical conditions

Nevertheless, the essential fact in the life of a prisoner is that he takes
on a subhuman status At best he is somethmg less than a roan, at
worst he is an ill treated animal In spint he may nse above this dero-
gation from his humanity just as a sick man may retam his equipoise m
spite of has mfimuty, but on the plane of matcriiu action he is subject to

PRISON 93

it. When the warder flings open the cell door and says, "Number four-
teen, stand up and walk m front of me down the corridor," the prisoner
must either obey or rebel, and even if he rebels and thereby asserts his
mdependence, authority will lock him mside his cage, and prevent turn
from exercising any further a man's freedom of action

This may be to a large extent inherent and inescapable, but it is
aggravated by the archaic character of prison conditions The buildings
themselves and the sum total of the rules and regulations are a remanet
of a bygone age when modem psychology was unknown During my
incarceration I was pre emmently conscious of the futility and sillmess of
It all What could be siUier, for mstance, than to imagme that a prisoner's
anti*social proclivities would be eradicated by shuttinghim up m his cell
for some twenty hours out of every twenty-four, and leaving him, without
instruction or guidance, to brood over his grievances agamst society?

There was something to me essentially childish about it, for the
child IS also regarded by many people as subhuman When I was set to
walk round the exercise yard with other prisoners it brought back to me
memories of my first ‘prep’ school, and when I was taken to the bath, and
the warder turned on the water and tested it before telling me to get in, I
seemed to be back m the nursery I almost expect^ him to start
washing mel

Perhaps the climax of absurdity was reached when I wanted to cut
my finger-nails, and had to set going a long process, which in fact took a
week, by puttmg m an application to see the doctor and get permission
from him to have a pair of nail scissors I gathered that the reason for
all this was that I might perhaps use the scissors m an attempt to com-
mit suicide, but all this time X had a huge pair of tailor's scissors m my
cell which had been given me for the purpose of makmg mail bag tabs

I write, of course, of prison as I experienced it 30 years ago,
and I am aware that since then there have been many changes and im-
provements, and that there would b-cr. far more if war had not
mtervened to block the passage into law of the Prison Reform Bill of 1939
Nevertheless 1 do not think it will be disputed that prison conditions
remain decades bdund what a scientific penology would suggest, and
that they are likely to continue lagging behind so long as a reactionary
section of public opmion, blind to its own interests, prefers vengeance to
reclamation and pms its faith to the efficacy of deterrence

Of course I royself was in a somewhat unique position which often
produced iromcal situations Whenever there was a visiting preacher in
the chapel he was brought by the prison chaplain to my cell to be mtro
duced to me, and he generally expressed his pleasure at meeting me and
at the fact that I should be in his audience Once an official of the
pnson astonished me by saying that he hoped when I was released I
Would use my influence to get him a better job!

I did not make any direct use of the library, but it must be a boon
to prisoners able to occupy themselves with reading The books I read
Were sent m to me from outside, but they had to be added to t^e hbrary
when I had finished with them They were chosen by a little friend of
mme, now Mrs Wilfrid Walter, Wrho, though not much of a reader her-
self, went to great trouble to consult my other friends as to what theV
thought I should bke I neverread abetter selection of travel, biography

9® FATE HAS SEEK KIND

science and history th^ she procured for me I was also favoured by
having the mmistrations of a UmtariaQ chaplam, Mr Fred Hankmson,
who afterwards became a close personal friend His visits w-ere always
welcome, if for no other reason than for the fact that he was allowed to
bring me news of my wife whom he visited in Holloway

Owmg to the monotony and limitation of prison life, small things
make a great impression— sunshme on the wall, the song and flight of
birds, a passing remark of an officer Visits are almost too great an
exatement, and when the visitor is gone there is a tendency to worry over
what was said or left unsaid I got pleasure out of a minute sundial I
made on my wmdow-sill with a splmter of wood and some sticky remains
from my breakfast I was also glad that the Governor set me to mow the
lawns of the prison, it used up some of ray spare energy Some exercise
I also managed to take even withm the narrow confines of my cell, and
in order to enumerate the number of tunes I performed a given motion
I invented a means of coontmg up to 99 qn the fingers and thumbs of my
two hands

Meanwhile, outside the prison an agitation was gomg forward to
induce the Government to accord us political treatment Petitions were
signed m this country by leading men and women, including one specially
on ray behalf by graduates of C^bndge Oxford and London Two mter-
national memori^ were widely signed, and finally it came out m Parha*
ment that some of the jury, who had found us guilty but had added a
rider m our favour, bad written a letter to the Home Secretary about it
The Government bowed to this widely expressed opinion, and we were
transferred to the first division

The effect of this was to give us greatly increased facilities for wntmg
and reading and keeping in touch with the outside world Moreover, I
learnt that as a first-cl^ prisoner I had a ngbt to ask from a visiting
magistrate a further enlargement of privileges I forget precisely what
it was I wanted, but I remember that after some discussion practically
all that I had requested was granted by the magistrate Then, the official
part of th6 interview being over, he said, to my surprise, "And last night
I was dmmg with your uncle ”

1 should have been content now to serve out the reraamder of my
sentence without further change But it was not to be I received won!
that the transference to tot division had not been extended to the other
suffragette prisoners and that they had therefore adopted the hungcr-
stnke m protest Quite clearly, my wife and Mrs Pankhurst could not
as leaders accept pohticai tieatsnent themselves and allow Ihevt (ol*
lowers to fight without them for a similar privilege Quite clearly, also.

I could not dissociate myself m Bnxton from their sympathetic strike,
whatever they might say about it m Holloway

Accordingly, I too adopted the hunger strike The first day I was all
hot and bothered about it and got a headache and slept badly The
second day I took myself m hand and found out that what usually
for hunger is better described as the 'food habit', and that if not appeased
It soon passes away I slept well that lught The thud day the aulbon-
tjes discovered what I was doing and carried me away to hospital and told
me that they were going to feed me by force

The doctor, a most sensitive man, was visibly distressed by what

PRISON

he had to do It certainly was an unpleasant and painful process and a
sufficient number of warders had to be called in to prevent my moving
while a rubber tube was pushed up my nostril and down mto my throat
and liquid was poured through it mto my stomach Twice a day there-
after one of the doctors fed me m this way I was not allowed to leave my
cell in the hospital and for the most part I had to stay m bed There was
nothmg to do but to read and the days were very long and went very
slowly. On one occasion the doctor came in and said to me “It is my
busmess as prison doctor to keep you m good health Worry is bad for
health, and I expect you are worried about your wife I regard it as my
duty to tell you that she has been released from Holloway “ I smiled
my thanks

A few days later he gave me to understand that he had made a report
about me to the Home Office and that something might come of it He
himself would have to be away from the prison next day until evenmg,
but others would look after me if anythmg happened Was he really
telbng me that I was going to be rdeased? I hardly dared to hope it
Naturally I woke very early next mommg and started to read my book to
steady my thoughts It was about Mary Queen of Scots and Darnley
and J^zio The doctor looked m before he left, took my temperature,
felt my pulse and made me say 'nmety nme' Every hour or so of the
morning the big key turned m the lock and someone came in, but k was
not to tell me of my release but to sit me up in bed and make me say
'mnety-nme', which I began to think was a kind of medical abracadabra
After each visit I tried to concentrate on the life of Mary of Scotland
la the afternoon two fresh doctors arrived and told me they had come
from the Home Office They asked me a number of questions and I went
through the usual ritual and they departed Still no word 1 began to
fear the worst

At last as evening was coming on the prison doctor came in and gave
me the good news He said he bad waitm to tell me until he had made
all arrangements My wife's doctor sisier was commg to fetch me m a
car Now that I was to be released I would no doubt be willing to take
food in the ordinary way The warder would pack up ray belongings and
help me to dress It aU took place accordmg to plan But as 1 walked
from my cell to the car I found first the Governor, with whom I shook
hands, and then a great number of the u-arders who had lined up to see
me ofi It may have been imagination, but it seemed to me that I heard
a cheer

Through the prison gates we passed, and I was once more in the out-
side world — and free It was a lovely June evening As I drove up the
long hill from Dorkmg to Holmwood I saw the last of the ivild roses on
the roadside still in bloom

D

9S

PATE HAS BEEN KIND

CHAPTER X

WOMEN WIN THE VOTE

Divided eouoseb— The leaders separate— Estuaate of the Pankhursts— The Cat
and Mouse Act— The JIascot sold up — Bankruptcy— Manhood Suffrage Bill
— Asquith s dile mma — ^The Speaker's Conference — ^Women s victory — ^Ten
years later— Results of women s enfranchiseuent

After our release from prison and the hunger>strike, Emmehne and I
rested for a short tune at our country house and then set out to spend a
fortnight with a Swiss friend who had a chalet at Braunwald in Canton
Glarus We broke the ]oumey m Boulogne to have a talk with Mrs
Fankhurst and Christabel, who came from Paris to join us We walked
together up from the town on to the diSs that lie between it and Viine»
reux, and restmg there we discussed the future

The talk developed unfortunately, for we found that dnnng our separa-
tion we had been t hinkin g along different Imes I had always had a very
high opmion of Christabel's political genius She bad had m my view
an almost uncanny instmct for diagnosing public opmion and for choosing
a line of action that would make the greatest app^ to it But I &d not
feel the same about her present attitude It seemed to me that her im-
pressions, obtained for die iBo$t part second hand, did not fully accord
with the (acts, and that the pobey. b^ed on them, that she proposed to
adopt would not therefore luve the reactions she anticipated I had
always been m the habit of telling Chnstabel what I thought even when I
differed from her, and I did not hesitate to do so now

Broadly, the difference between us was this I took the view that the
window-smashing raid had aroused a new popular opposition, because it
was for the first time an attack on private property, and that therefore
before it was repeated, still more before ^aver acts of violence were com-
mitted, there was need for a sustamed educational campaign to make the
pubbe undeistand the reasons for such extreme courses 1 took it for
granted that she herself would return to London and resume her leader-
sLp of the campaign This would place the Government m the awkward
predicament of havmg to choose between repeating the conspiracy trial
m her case, or of dechnmg the challenge to do so ^Vhichever course they
adopted would enhance her position and that of the W S P U

Chnstabel took the view that such popular opposition as there might
t* ’ffas stcA esssatialiy diSeceat frem tisat which aver and over agam

manifested itself when other new forms of nuhtancy had been inaugurated,
and that the right method of overcoming it was to repeat and mtensuy
the attack m the early autumn The suffragette motto that 'de«^
speak louder than words' would thus be once more exemplified Sho-
considered that, just because her pohey was a revolutionary one, it ^I’as
necessary t^t siie herself should remam outside the reach of the Govern-
ment, so that whatever happened she might be m a position to contmue
to direct it , ^

Our discussion became somewhat heated, and attracted the attention
of Mrs Fankhurst and Emmeline, who were seated a few paces away
They and jom^ us and expressed their views Mrs. Fankhurst,

100 FATE HAS BEEV KIND

was complete and irrevocable There was, further, no appeal against our
exclusion from the WSPU Mrs Pankburst was the aclmowledged
autocrat of the Union We had ourselves supported her in acquiring this
position several years previously we could not dispute it now It was,
of course, open to us to drag the issue into public controversy But that
could achieve no useful purpose, while it would give the enemies of the
movement occasion to blaspheme' We refused to pull down, m this
way, stone by stone, the edifice which we had with such care and at «udi
cost assisted to build up

The last scene of this drama, like the first, was enacted in Boulogne.
There, m a little hotel facing the quay, the four of us drew up the terms of
our separation The newspaper Votes for Women reveited to my wife and
myself The whole of the rest of the organization, including the Woman’s
Press, remamed under the control of the Pankhursts There was some
discussion about the forthcoming Albert Hall meeting which was to have
been the welcome to the three pnsoners of the conspiracy tnal Mrs
Pankhurst invited us to be there without her, but Emmelme wisely de-
clined We concluded by drawing up a joint statement for publication
recording our divergent views on policy and embodying these terms It
duly appeared on October 17, the day on which Mrs Pankhurst faced the
\Ibert Hall meeting alone

Thus ended our personal assoaation with two of the most remarkable
people I have evfer known In some ways they were widely different
Chnstabel, with her girlish figure, her penetratmg bram her mexorable
logic, and her power of acute political analysis, appealed particularly to
the young of both sexes Mrs Pankburst, with her warm Manx blood,
her nch experience of life, and her moving voice, whose modulations she
knew so how to control, touched the hearts and won the sympathies
of those who would have been unaffected by a merely rational approach
The outstanding characteristic which they shared with one another, and
with Sylvia, the younger daughter, was their absolute refusal to be de-
flected by cntiasm or appeal one hair’s breadth from the course which
they had determined to pursue To that extent they were msensitis'C to
ordinary human considerations Many men and women who have made
history have been cast m a similar mould They seem to be used by
destmy for some purpose whether of beneficent constructive reform or of
blmd destructive rctnbution They cannot be judged by ordinary
standards of conduct , and those who run up against them must not com-
plain of the treatment they receive

The immediate effect on the Union of the Pankhursts’ dcosiori was to
dnvc It largely underground. Courageous women were stimulated to
acts of increasing daring and danger, and under the Cat and Mouse Act
spent alternating penods in prison and on the sick list Mrs Pank-
burst shared to the full in tlicse exploits and perils. Houses were blown
up or burnt down, a church was gutted, the contents of pUIar boxes were
dcstroved- The extent to which ail this advanced the cause of woman
suffrage is not very easy to dcade. Undoubtedly, by creating a state of
public disorder, it exemplified the sa>*ing that 'society rests on conical .
and nude the man m the sUcct ask wh> the Covemmeat foiled to uo

102 FAT£HASBJS 3 SNKrVD

tised and an auctioneer appeared on the scene Our friends came m
large numbers to buy up and give back to us the thmgs An old grand-
father clock which my brother-jn law had gi^ en us as a wedding present
was bought in by him and re given to us m this way It still stands .m
the hall of our present home The auctioneer himself caught the spirit
of the day, and returned to us with a letter of appreciation an article
which he had purchased as a present for his wife

But the proceeds of the sale did not nearly reach the required amount,
and the Government then threatened me with bankruptcy proceeings
if I did not produce the balance of the money After some hesitation I
decided to continue my protest, and to face the unpleasant and incon-
venient consequences For several weeks I had to put up with the loss
of all direct control of my own affairs and incidentally to forfeit member-
ship of my club The Government then simply took what was required
from my estate

About the same time the firms whose wmdows had been broken
brought a combined action to recover all the damages from us Emme-
line and I decided to contest it The trial took place m the Law Courts
before Mr Justice Darling and a jury, and we conducted our defence tn
person The case for the plamtiffs was that we were responsible, because
the women who had broken the wmdows had been incited to do so by us
Our case was that it was Members of the Government who were primarily
guilty of incitement Emmeline referred m particular to the words of
5lr Hobhouse, a Member of the Cabinet, who had explicitly reminded
women that men, when they were demanding the franchise, had shown
their determination by riots and by burning down Nottingham Castle .

Mr Justice Darling, in summing up, said that her speech was one of
the most eloquent* he had ever heard m that Court and that it was nol
unnatural she should have used such an argument But, even if Mr
Hobhouse and Mr Lloyd George were guilty of incitement, that did not
exonerate the defendants m the case before him from responsibility
The jury, after retiring for close on an hour, returned a verdict for the
plamtiffs- and judgment was entered accordingly The sum, about
£5,000 m all, was taken from my estate As 1 had no other creditors my
bankruptcy was tJien annulled But the committee of my club did not
see fit to restore my mcmbersliip

Meanwhile in Parliament the Gov’cmment were floundering badly
over the suffrage question H will be remembered that, when they had
announced their intention of introducing m *913 a Bill to pve the vote
to all adult men. they had speafically promis^ that it would be open to
an amendment to include women, and that facilities would be given fo^
this to be freely voted upon and, if carried, embodied in the Bill We
of the W S P U had at the time denounced tins promise as illusory.
But even we were not prepared for the striking way in which our pro-
phecy was to be fulnlled The Bill was duly introduced and tlie requisite
amendments handed m The opinion of the Speaker was then solicited
as to their effect He ruled that their inclusion would so radically extend

• The ipeech made a coaUderable Impreuioa on Imn, lor more than tea >ea;*

later, when I 1 ad occasion to wde to hu i on an enluely djflcrrnt matter, he cotnmeoc*'*
his rrplv h) reminding n c ol what had mU auU ronfim mg fioin lutthe- e»pcfi«i« h'*
view ol tier speech

WOMEN WIN TUE VOTE lOJ

the scope of the ortginal measure as to acate substantially a new iiiil,
which could not then be proceeded wtht

There was no reason to suppose that this fiasco hid been forcsocn
by the Government and was a picco of deliberate bad faith. liut the
bungling bad come about through their dislioncst attempt to dodge the
issue. It was playing with a serious question to pretend that a big
'constitutional change could be effected by means of a side amendment to
a Bill designed for an entirely different purpose. ^ far, nearly everyone
was now agreed. But what was to be done next? Mr. Asquith was
himself perplexed and was given much divergent advice. Some said that
he ought to resign. Others said that he wui his Government ought now
to sw^ow their opposition to woman suffrage, and carry through them*
selves a measure to enact it. Others suggested that he should reverse his
original procedure, and introduce a comprehensive frandiisc Bill and
leave the M.P.s free to cut women out of it if they were so minded. He
rejected ail these proposals and contented himself with withdrawing the
Manhood Suffrage Bill. To women he merely said that they could try
their hands with another Conciliation Bill; but this advice was sumnurily
and derisively rejected.

Another year went by. The revolutionary campaign was intensified
and the chasm between tlic militants and a Govemraent nhich refused
to do justice to women deepened. Several new suffrage societies came
into being and tried to bridge it. but m vain. My wife, taking put in
a protest, was arrested and nns subjected to her seventh (v*cry short)
Imprisonment. Meanwhile in Iceland the Government’s llomc Buie
policy was opposed by open rebellion on the part of an Ulster contingent
who were allowed to arm themselves without interference or prosecu-
tion. \Vc were not slow to point out the striking contrast between the
Government's handling of the two agitations. \V1icn the summer of
19x4 arrived ivithout any change m the political outlook it seemed certain
to ever>’onc that the Parliament elected in uiu autumn of xqio u-ould run
its course and that women would not be wjtcrs at the following General
Election. But we were all reckoning without that catastrophic event
which, during the next four years and after, was to change the face of
European civilization.

^04 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

VoUsforWomen^^. not pursue an identical course The paper continued
to advocate the enlargement o{ women's sphere and found plenty to occupy
Its columns m the growing activities and needs of women without ever
abandoning its claim forenfranchisement

The war, as it proceeded, brought other internal changes Mr
Asquith ceased to be Prime ^ftm$te^ and a Coalition was formed with Mr
Lloyd George at its head and Mr Bonar Law in close association with
him A party truce was declared, and the register of electors was not
kept up to date Curiously enough, it was this last seemingly unimpor-
tant fact which was la the end the proximate cause of women's en-
franchisement For as time went on the register became so stale that it
was plain that the next general election, whenever it came, could not be
fought on it A Bill to recreate the registration machinery had there-
fore to be put through Parliament, and everyone recognized that fran-
chise reforms must accompany it Redistribution of seats, abolition or
limitation of plural voting, and an extension pf the male electorate had
to be dealt with

But what of women 5 Could they be left any longer outside? People
had not forgotten how the great pre war suffrage agitation had com
pelied Mr Asquith to drop his Manhood Suffrage Biff Smce then
women, in spite of early Government discouragement, had exhibited
high capaaty durmg the war and rendered incalculable service m a great
variety of fields No one wanted to see a recrudescence of militancy
when the war was over

It was accordingly decided m Parhament to submit this and all the
other franchise issues together to a panel of Members drawn from ail
parties and presided over by the Speucer, with a request to draw up an
a«eed sdieme Tlus Speaker's (inference met at the end of 1916
while the war was stiil m progress and issued its report in February 19^7
Among other changes it proposed to confer the vote upon all men and
upon a limited number of women The women had to satisfy two con
ditions they had to be over tiurty years of age, and they must either
themselves be qualified to be local government electors or be the wives
of men who were The report was accepted by the House of Commons
and a Bill embodying its recommendations passed through all its stages
in both Houses with only slight opposition, and became the law of die
land The enfranchisement of women was an accomplished fact

The women's societies celebrated the victory with enthusiasm It
did not trouble us overmuch that absolute equality had not been at-
tained We recognized that it was m accordance with Bntish tradition
to proceed a step at a time Besides, the total number of women electors,
some eight and a half miUions, would be several times greater than tl^t
we had originally fought for, and we knew that it would be a powerlm
leverage to obtain reforms of all kinds The fact that there would he
at the same time a male electorate of some thirteen millions did not
concern us because we had never regarded the question as a battle
between women and men

Ten years later the final step was taken I was then myself a M^ber
of Parhament, and it was in answer to a question of nune that Mr Bald-
wm as Prime Minister, made his announcement that his Government
mtended to introduce and carry through a BiU to enfranchise all women

WOMEN WINTUEVOTE I05

I can imagine how Winston Churchill would have done it in his place
He would certainly have used words most carefully chosen to matai the
histone significance of the deasion and he would have relished the oppor-
tunity that It would have given him to stand as a champion of democracy
What Mr Baldwin actually said was that he was afraid be had lost the
paper on which the answer was wntten but that he remembered it suffi-
ciently to state the substance of it, which he then proceeded to do I
However, the essential thing was the decision itself, and it was a
foregone conclusion that the BiU embodying it would become law In
the result, there was practically no opposition, as few M Ps cared to
afiront the commg new electors by spe^ng or votmg against them A
number of Members took part in the debate and recounted their hfe-long
devotion to the cause and the support which they had always rendered
to It in Parliament My recollection did not always accord with theirs
I made, as befitting a back bencher, a short speech to a House, which had
emptied for dinner, stressing the importance of the occasion which had
for the first tune made women an eqi^ sovereign half of the nation

What has been the effect of the enfranchisement of women? Have
the hopes and expectations of those of us who worked for it been attamed
or surpassed’ Have any or all of the fears of those who opposed it been
realized?

Let me begm by recalling what these different prognostications were
We claimed, &t and foremost, that it would give women a higher status,
and, as a result, fundamentally alter the attitude of the sexes towards
one ano^er, or, to put it in the words of John Stuart Mill, that it would
end ‘the subjection of women We contended further that, by giving
women the key to political power, it would enable them to obtain equality
of opportunity, to improve their economic position, and to procure the
enactment of reforms of benefit to themselves to children and to the com-
mumty as a whole We said finally that avihzation would no longer be
directed exclusively from the masculine viewpomt, but in the better
perspective of male and female informed opinion

The anti suffiagists said that it would drag women out from their
natural sphere of the home into the arena of political stnfe, and impose
on them obUgations which the vast majority of them were unwiUmg to
assume Tney ioretdifi ttiai A ■» vcid ^wA.wten'irasbanSs

and wives T^ey did not believe that it would improve women’s wages
and conditions, because these depended on the economic law of supply
and demand They feared that women, when they formed the majonty
of the electorate would outvote men on. matters of home and foreign
policy, and that men would have to bear the brunt of these decisions
contrary to their more experienced judgment To these gloomy pro-
pheaes some of the men among them added the whisper that a regimen
of women would impose on them impossibly strict standards of sex
morality

I think it will be generally agreed that dissensions m the home have
not mcreased on account of the fact that women now have votes for
Parhament as well as for local government, which they had before T
remember a woman telling me that she bad ‘neutralized’ her husbands'

100 FATEHASBEBNKINI)

vote at the last election by giving hers to the opposing candidate, but her
remark caused amusement and not anger m the f amil y The pohtical
duties of an elector are not onerous or obhgatory, but it may sometunes
happen that a husband is disappomted that his wife is out attending a
pohtical meetmg when he would have preferred to find her at home. On
the other hand, many husbands are glad that their wives can Hi s nm g
pqlitical questions with a better understandmg than previously

Apart from war work, whidi ansss oaly mdirectly from the fact that
women are now full citizens, the only additional obhgation which has
been imposed on them, so far as I am aware, is that of service on a jury
This IS no doubt irksome and mconvenient to many women as it is to
most men On the other hand, a number of women have welcomed the
opportumty of takmg this share m the civic life of the country and of
introducmg a woman^ viewpomt mto judgments on their fellow citizens,
particularly where children s interests are concerned I do not think
there have been any complaints of women's work as jurymen, though
some judges and some litigapts have protested against their talang part
in certam cases

No separate record is kept at elections of the effect of the votes cast
by men and women respectively, and therefore it is impossible to tell how
far, if at all, any candii^te may be said to owe his election to the vote of
one sex m particular But judging from public meetmgs and from the
results of 'straw' votes, there is no reason to suppose mt opmions on
matters of general poUcy have been divided on sex lines

In the field of sex morality the results'probably came as a surprise
to most people It is true that a nearly equal standard between men
and women has been introduced, both m the law of divorce and m the
public attitude towards those whose sexual relations are outside the
marital state Cut in the mam this has meant not greater rigidity but
greater tolerance With it has come according to the view of most of
those competent to judge, a considerable reduction in prostitution
Soaety, I \enture to think, has by no means said the last word on the
whole of this intimate and intncate question of sex relationship, either
as to the code of optimum behaviour or as to the treatment of those
individuals who break it But I should have supposed that there could
be no doubt of the paramount necessity that m reaching a decision men
and women should have an equal voice

As regards economics the results have been mixed A large number
of additional occupations have been thrown open to women They can
6e JPs and J/rnrsTers aftheCnjmt, btttthehfeciseaf Zorijr stiJ}
its doors to them They can be hamsters and sohcitors They can serve
in the highest grades in the Civil Service and local government with the
exception of the diplomatic service and the defence departments They
are actu^y, m the present war, recogmzed members of the fightmg
services On the other band, they have not secured equal pay for equal
work except m a few instances, and they are still liable to Se turned out
of their jobs on marriage I think we must be prepared to admit that,
though m some r^pects progress has been greater and more rapid than
we expected, m the mam matter of econonuc equality it has not gone so
far or so fast No doubt it will have to be pursued m future on the »n
dustnaf as well as on the pohtical ^ane

Til E F t RST WOR L D W A R IO7

The most striking /ullilmcnt of our prophecy kis come in the m.ittcr
of infantile mortality, which lias actually fallen from around 120 \Kr
thousand at the time we were agitating for the vote to between 50 and
60 today. It IS true that some part of the reduction took place m the
years before tlie vole was actually won but we never supposed that it
was a mere ballot box matter fhe interest that was aroused by the
agitation, and the desire to appease women by dealing with questions in
which they were known to be particularly interested, naturilly produced
results of the same kind as their actual cnfranchijcmcnt On the other
hand, maternal mortahtyfor a long time showed no sign of improvement,
and It IS only in the last >car or so, no doubt as a result of recent legisla-
tion combined with widespread concern, that it has begun to be reduced
It IS too ^arly to judge how far this downward trend will persist

The claim that widowed mothers should receive a pension on account
of their dependent children was substantially met in the contributory
pensions sclicmc, carried through m the middle twenties, and there is
no doubt that social insurance generally, so far os women are concerned,
has been largely affected by the fact of their citizenship It will probably
also be generally conceded that the separation allowances for waves {and
reputed waves) of men serving m the two world wars would have been on
a less generous scale but for the agitation which resulted 111 securing the
vote I think account must also be taken of the fact that M P s cannot
fail to pay greater attention to the individual gncvanccs of women in
their constituencies when they know that they depend on their vxites to
secure re-election

But It is, after all, in the matter of status that women have wured
most from their enfranchisement This by its nature docs not admit of
statistical proof It is only for those who have lived through the periods,
before and aher to give ineir impressions In my mind there exists no
shadow of doubt on the matter and I invite those who differ from me
to take the opportunity of looking at contemporary pictures of Brilish
women m the closing years of the nineteenth centdry They will see on
the faces of most of the women of the upper and middle clas^ of tlut
period a look of boredom expressing the fact that the mam current of
life had passed them by they will sec women, of the working clas:.cs m
drab clothes, old beyond their years, and exhausted by the unequal
struggle of life Then let them go out into the streets and look at the
upstanding women of today of all ages and of all clashes They cannot
fad to note the contrast

CHAPTER XI

THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Pre wiT lile— Links »ilb C«nnany— Oulbrrak ol war— Death ot K«r Hardie A

visit to U S A — Women at the Hague — Union of E>emcicrauc ControV— E D
Morel— Lees Smith— Candidature la S Aberdeen— I •cace by nesotuuoo— A
levy on capital — S>dney Arnold — Bernard Shaw — Conic eatious obiector—

W ork on a lann — ^Th« armistice ‘

War came m 1914 like a bolt from the blue Only a few davs before it
happened the very idea ol it seemed quite lantastic Emnieline and I

FATE HAS SEEK KIKD

had been making plans for a tour round the world We had already
taken our passages across the Atlantic, and were on the point of booking
them across the Pacific We were sitting at lunch m our garden at
Holmwood, towards the end of July, when one of the party referred to the
recent murder of an Austrian Archduke • It seemed that it was givmg
rise to grave disquiet in diplomatic circles But to us as to other ordinary
men and women, it appeared only as a little cloud on the horizon— no
bigger than a man’s hand’ Within a week it was to darken the whole
European sky and engulf us all m war

I do not suppose that anyone who has grown up smce 1914 can ever
fully appreaate the confident sense of stability which prevailed before
that date Though I Lad travelled widely over the world I had never
troubled to carry a passport, except once when I thought I was gomg to
Russia My wife did not possess one at all When we went to Switzerland
for winter sports we. used to pass through France and Germany, and were
only made cogmzant of the frontiers by a cursory customs examination
Not only Enghsh gold sovereigns but English £5 notes and even English
cheques were accepted wiViagiy by foreign hotels and shopkeepers, at
the rates of exchange which had remained constant for many years — about
25 French or Swiss francs or 20 German marks to the pound We
frequently brought back with us foreign notes and small silver change,
and kept them till a year or two later, when we might be gomg to the
same country again

The ease and lack of formality attaching to foreign travel is illustrated
by the following true story of a cousin of mine She had made all
arrangements for a prolonged pleasure trip to a distant part of the
world Arrived at the railway station with her luggage, she dis
covered to her annoyance that she had come twelve hours too soon
for her train She walked along the platform and read an advertise
ment of another trip to an entirdy different part of the world, starting
several hours earlier She went straight to the travel agency, changed
all her tickets, and Vas off on the new journey She stayed away four
years!

Many of my acquaintances married foreigners, and it made little
difference to their life which country they resided in Ne\i'spapers and
books of all nations circulated freely throughout the world Inter-
national conferences of all kinds, commercial, scientific and political,
were constantly taking place In particular, soaahst parties m the
vannus. kept up regular communication with one another, and

projected common action It had begun to look as though any
conflicts which might arue m the future would not be between
nations but between classes, and would be on political rather than raaaJ
Imes

Emmeline and I had many contacts with Germany and Germans
She had been to school m Wiesbaden I had paid several visits, before j
was roamed, to the home of some German ladies, who lised on an island
m the Rhme near Coblenz and took paying guests who wanted to leam
German They taught me the ways of the country, and inadentaliy

• Ho was, ot course, the heir presompUve to the Emperor Fraa* Joseph ot AustrU
Huogary.

THE FIRST WORLD WAR IO9

initiated me into the excellent card game for three players — 'Scat* I
could not help being amused at the resj^t they had for officers of their
Army and at the way they talked of the Kaiser \vith bated breath But
in other respects I found their outlook and their life very similar to those
of an English family

After our marriage, Emmeline and I stayed there again, and she
revisited her old schoolrnistress at Wiesbaden We also spent a delightful
holiday in Nuremburg and cycled to the charming old town of Rothen*
burg, receiving a friendly greeting from its inhabitants We attended a
Wagner Festival at Bayreuth, and twice went to Oberammergau, where
we stayed at the house of Anton Lang, who took the part of Christ m the
famous Passion play On the first occasion, the year preceding the play,
Anton s sister recognized us at once on our arrival, as she had been present
at one of our suffrage demonstrations m Hyde Park, and when we went
back the following y ear to attend the play we found that Frau Lang had
decorated our bedroom in the purple, white, and green of the W S P U
We also had happy associations with Innsbruck, the capital of the Aus-
trian Tyrol, and were present at the Andreas Hofer centenary there The
charm and simplicity of these German and Austrian peasant folk attracted
us very much

Another direct link with t^ese countries was formed by our work for
votes for women A parallel league to ours existed m Germany, and a
contingent from it marched in one of our London processions and attended
an Albert Hall meetmg Several of these women have remained our
friends through life On the Labour side we had no direct personal
contact, but Jaur^s of France and Bebel of Germany were household
words to us . and Keir Hardie and others of my British labour friends us^
to tell me of the international conferences that were being held, and of
how It was hoped that the solidarity m the labour ranks would be strong
enough, if ever the tune came to prevent their countries from gomg
to war with one another

It is true that there had been ‘incidents which had given rise to
anxiety — ^between the British and French over Fashoda, between the
British and Russians over the Dogger Bank, between the Bntish and
Genfians over Agadir, and between the Austrians and Russians over the
annexation by the former of Bosnia-Herzogovina There was also
continuous tension over 'spheres of influence’ and the parcelling out of
Africa But one way or another a settlement had always been reached
without recourse to arras I had seen no war m Western Europe m my
lifetime, for the last of them, that between France and Prussia, had
ended in the year I was born (1871) Even m that, Britain had stayed
outside the conflict It was natural to suppose that diplomacy would
find a way to deal with this murder, by a Serbian, of the Austnaa Arch-
duke without plungmg the peoples of Europe, who had no quarrel with
one another, into what seemed like a civil war

So life went on quite normally in England The plans for August
holidays continued to be made Slany people left for a pleasure trip on
the Contment On Sunday, August 2, Emmelme and I drove down to
Littlehampton for the day. and it was there for the firet time that we •
were confronted with anythuig unusual Tendenog a £5 banknote to
pay for our lunch at an hotel, we were surprised to be told that the manage

110

FATE HAS DEEN KIND
mcnt was not prepared to give us change/ and we had to scrape together
the requisite amount m silver Next day, however, the Bank Holiday
excursion trams to the seaside were run as usual and were filled with
carefree crowds Emmehne and I stayed quietly at our house in Holm-
wood

Meanwhile, events on the Contment had been moving with extra-
ordinary rapidity The militarists m Russia under the Czar, in Austria
under the Emperor Franz Joseph, m* Germany under the Kaiser, got the
upper hand Austria made impossible demands on Serbia, Russia began
to mobilize, Germany counter mobilized British Labour made an
effort to rally the international Labour movement, but it was too late
The German Labour Party failed to put up any effective opposition to the
call to the colours Jaur^s, the French socialist, was murdered The
French began to mobilize Ultimatums were sent and their time limits
expired

Therewere.of course, no broadcasts in 1914 butas the day of Augusts
wore on. rumours began to spread that Britain would become mvolved
Emmeline and I hurried up to London with the vague idea that we might
get together with others and do something about the situation When
we got there we found, as might have been expected, that we were mere
straws upon the stream That very day Sir Edward Grey, the ForeiCT
Secretary, had disclosed for the first time m Parliament that many months
previously, unknown to the British people and imknown to the British
Cabinet as a whole, but with the approval of Mr Asquith, the Prime
Minister, he had gone a very long way towards pledgmg armed support
to the French m the event of a oonfiict.and that 'Staff talks' had m fact
been proceeding All that had been m^e public was that the centuries-
old hostility between France and Britain had been succeeded by a wel-
come friendship, and that for the purposes of diplomatic action a 'triple
entente' of Britain, France, and Russia stood over against the 'triple
alliance' of Germany, Austria, and Italy

In these circumstances, now that war had actually broken out in
Europe, the House of Commons took the view that Britain would be
dishonoured if she failed to implement the understanding of her Foreign
Secretary The decision was rendered more nearly unanimous owing
to the fact that the German Array was proceeding to invade Belgium,
whose integrity had been specifically guaranteed by all the Great Powers
m a treaty, now contemptuously referred to by the German Chandelier
as a 'scrap of paper' A British ultimatum was accordmgly despatched
xSiT Faiasdry; J*atf-m.the^-vRniqyJ went nut onto Ihe streets

and mmgled with the crowds The midnight hour struck Everyone
knew that from that moment we were at war with Germany

The feeling prevailmg throughout the country was one of surprise
and astonishment The British people had no enmity towards the

• Up to tbcB there were no ir notes mi England, and gold sovereigns circulate freely
One of the first decisions of the Covcroinent m the emergency was to keep the banks clos^
for two additional days and in the meantime to withdraw gold from circulation and to
priiit paper notes for £i and los They were issu^ by the Treas^

Imown as Bradburys because the inscmtum on them was signed by Sir John llradbury,
the head of the Civil Service now Lord Bradbury I was told when I went to the Treaswy.
later, that the first draft had run This note islegal lender /of t ly a» lounl Fortunately
the mistake was discovered just in tunc

THE FIRST WORLD WAR III

German people 'A war without hatred' was how it was described by
a prommeat Liberal newspaper supportmg the Government Even
the German Kaiser, with his bombastic ways, came m more for ridicule
than for ammosity Nevertheless, for the same reasons that bad ac-
tuated the House of Commons, there was a general disposition to Ime up
behmd the Government My own personal attitude was highly cnticaf
The war seemed to me to have started on the Contment without any
sufRcient cause and to mark a complete breakdown of statesmanship all
round I strongly resented the cl^destme way m which Sir Edward
Grey had m effect committed the British people m advance behmd their
back But I too, m spite of my loathing of war, felt that, granted the
circumstances as they were at the twelfth hour, a refusal to come to the
help of France and Belgium would have been a breach of faith

I chanced to run into Keir Hardie on a tram journey shortly after-
wards All his plans of international Labour co-o^ration to avert war
had come to no^mg But he spoke to me with the old Ught m his eye
of how his own particular organization, the I L P , had remamed true
to his pacifist faith It was the last time I saw him His gentle spirit,
mured to attacks upon himself, could not stand up to the hideous crudties
of war on others Shortly afterwards he had a complete breakdown,
and meraful death shielded him from the blows of those long four and a
quarter years of mutual slaughter and growmg hatred

My wife and I thought our most uWul work would be to help to
organize women for posts of auxiliary service This was all the more
important m our view because the first effect of war was to create wide-
^read unemployment, particularly among women But Mr Asquith's
(hsvernment discouraged the employment of women except as nurses,
and refused even to make use of women doctors and surgeons, until their
value had been amply demonstrated later m units attached to some of
our alhes So when Enunelme received a cable from some mfluentlai
women in the United States to come over and address a suffrage meetmg
m New York, there was nothing to prevent her from accepting the in-
vitation She went, and durmg the next few months took a major part
m for ming the Amencan nucleus of the Women's International League

I stayed m London, and tried to put my ideas mto wntmg I cast
them in the form of an imaginative story called '1950 , which was sup-
posed^o be written m retrospect by someone hving towards the end of
the centmy I descnbed many physical changes which I imagined had
taken place in the thirty six years since 1914 Nations had acquired
large fleets of aeroplanes One machme had actually flown the double
journey across the Atlantic in a single day A new instrument which I
called the tdeoptikon enabled people to see what was taking place m a
distant land Girls were employed by the post office as telegraph mes-
sengers and were equipped with motor bicycles A new ‘element' had
been discovered which was capable of developing a prodigious amount
of energy

In the first part of the book I descnbed how a mme m Greenland
supposed to contain an abundant source of this element, nearly broucht
about a European war, and how it was only the discovery, at the tw^th
hour, that the prospectors had made a fraudulent report that saved th
situation For, as the Pnme Minister said to his Foreign SeaSa^^

II2 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

“You really can’t fight a war about a nune which doesn’t exist *' In
the second part 1 told how the opponents of war created a society which
they called 'The League of Nations’ to help them to keep the world at
peace They had against them impenahsts and concession hunters and
a powerful newspaper proprietor who, at a critical moment, distorted the
speech of a foreign statesman m order to prejudice the people against
friendship But the situation was saved by the arrival of a woman in an
aeroplane, brmging the true version of the spee<i, and by its instant
dissemmation throughout the country

I never finished the story A literary friend to whom I showed it
was somewhat critical, and, while I was considering what I should do
about it, a cable arrived from my wife suggesting that I should jom her
m the United States and escort her home It is an mteresting commen-
tary on the difference between 1914 and 1939 that the journey presented
no special difficulties, and that it never even occurred to me to arm
myself with a passport I found my wife in the thick of a campaign of
meetmgs m many of the principal cities of the U S A , and we worked our
way across the continent to the Paafic and, travellmg north, back
across Canada The progress of the European war was reported at great
length m the papers of the Eastern States and of the Middle West, but I
found m Cabforma that mterest m it was not considered sufficient to
justify even a single column on the front page

We came back to Europe m a Dutch ship sailing to Holland In
this neutral country a premment woman suffragist. Dr Aletta Jacobs,
had determmed, like Lysistrata in the play by Anstophanes, to try to
find a way to stop the slaughter of the ydung men of Europe, and to
formulate the basis of a lasting settlement She bad called a world
conference of women at the Hague, and had invited, to meet her there,
women from the neutral and belligerent countnes Her invitation bad
been widely accepted, and a massive contingent was proceeding from
Amenca to take part in it It was on the ship that carn^ this party that
we secur^ our passage It was christened m the American papers, 'The
Peace Ship’

Leadmg the United States delegation was Jane Addams, already
well known as the founder of the Umvcrsity Settlement of Hull House in
Chicago and for her other soaal activities I had met her on several
occasions and Emmehne had been associated with her durmg her recent
campaign in the Umtcd States The voyage presented the opportunity
of commg m closer contact with her unique personality Wise, patient
and tolerant, she presided with calm dignity over our informal gatlicnngs
on the ship, and later at the mam conference at the Hague At its con
elusion she carried its resolutions m person to the heads of most of the
bdligerent States In the years to come she was at different times to
subjected to high praise and widespread abuse She was to be awarded
the Nobel Prize But no personal considerations affected her for as it
seem^ to me she had merged her separate self in the ocean of cosmic

There were no madents in the voyage across the Atlantic, but
approached the Conusb coast we were haded by a British trawler The
ship s papers were examined and a Gcnnan seaman was taken off Wli«
last we saw lum, he was drinking a cup of coffee given to him by his

THE FIRST WORLD WAR II3

British captors Amvcd ofl Deal, ue came to a dead slop The North
Sea had been closed, we were told, by order of Winston Churchill, the
First Lord of the Admiralty For four days we remained immobilized
Miss Addams sent a telegram to the American Ambassador m London
A reply came to her saying that it was outside his province to assist her
m the- matter Wthin a couple of hours we were steaming ahead I
Diplomacy frequently works in this indirect way!

It was May x when we arrived at Rotterdam, and the Americans went
on at once to the Hague Emmclmc and I had first to pay a visit to the
Bntish Consul, who obhgin^ly provided us with passports — the fore-
runners of those we have earned ever since on all our foreign journeyings
Armed with them, we were soon speeding on our way to rejoin our com-
rades The diminutive railway carnages and the intimacy of the land-
scape on that lovely spnng afternoon contrasted strikingly with their
counterparts m the great western land from which we had so recently
come

Next day the conference took shape Nearly every country was
represented, m spite of the fact that the authorities m the belligerent
nations had prevented the bulk of their delegates from arriving As 1
looked down from the gallery on the mixed gathering and heard the
speeches and read the resolutions which were passed without opposition,

I said to mysdf "How Idee one another these women of different races
ate in all essentials , how much they have m common how mconccivable
It IS that their menfolk should be engaged m mortal combat, and that
they themselves should be expected to hate one another 1 '

Women from the belligerent nations were appointed to take the
resolutions to the neutral Governments while women of the neutral
States earned them to the wamng Govemmenls They had a more
cordi^ reception than might have been anticipated , but no real hope
was held out to them that the cloud of war would be lifted We our-
selves stayed on a few days m Holland, where public meetings had been
arranged My wife and women of other nationahties addressed them,
each m her own language, and the Dutch, excellent linguists as they are,
came in considerable numbers to listen and applaud After that, with
some difficulty, we found a ship that would take us to England, and for
the remauung three and a half years of war were imable to leave our own
shores

Very shortly after I got home. I was m%^ted to join the Union of
Democratic Control and become its treasurer As its name implies, it
was founded to insist that foreign policy should m future, equally with
home policy, be subject to the popular will The purpose was sometimes
described negatively as the abohtion of secret diplomacy, but of course
no one was foolish enough to suppose that the delicate negotiations be-
tween foreign Governments could be carried on in the full blaxe of pub-
licity The mtention was that no commitments should be entered mto
without the peoples being fully mformed and their approval obtamed.
By a natural transition, the objects of the Union came to include the
formulation of terms of a durable settlement, on the basis of which the
war might be brought to an end. As my owm mmd was movme m the
same direction I readily accepted the mvitation ITns brought me mto
direct association with a number of men most of whom were aheady well

II4 fatehasbeenkind

known to me, and all of whom played a considerable part in mv later
life ■'

The prime mover was E D Morel, whose passion was the suppression
of injustice He had written a great book about the cruelties of the
Belgian rule in the Congo It had won him the mtense hostility of in-
terested parties , but ft had achieved a large part of Ijis purpose in exposing
the scandal and obtaining a measure of reform He was now equally
deternuned to brmg home to the common people of all lands the smister
forces which lay behmd war The fact that he was of French descent
and >ad the Latin temperament gave a fire to his oratory that roused
his audiences to strong feelmgs of agreement or disapproval He was
m after years to eater the House of Commons as a Labour Sfember by
defeating Mr Winston Churchill m Dundee

Ano^er active member of the committee was Ramsay MacDonald,
who, before the war, had already become a prominent figure in Parba
ment As secretary of the Labour Party and an astute organizer his
relation to Keir Hardie was something IiLe that later of Stalm to Lenm
among the Bolsheviks He had not been popular with the 'L&li Wing,
who looked upon him as a compromiser, they were therefore all the more
surpnsed by his vigorous attitude on the war In non Labour circles he
was now widely denounced as an enemy of his country, but his unnvalled
knowledge of uitersational affairs and his keen pohtical brain made him
a powerful protagonist Inside the committee of the Union of Demo*
cratic Control, when difficult decisions had to be made. I generally found
mysdf in agreement with his objective outlook

Most of the other members of the Executive Committee, with the
exception of Norman Angell and Mrs Swanwick, were all established
Liberal politicians and old school or (»>llege mates of my own Charles
IVevelyan was the eldest son of Ifr Gladstone s Irish secretary and had
been himself a member of Mr Asquith's Government He had resigned
at the outbreak of war in opposition to Su: Edward Grey s pohcy Arthur
Ponsonby had been page to Queen Victoria and had been tramed for the
diplomatic service, but bad found himself m disagreement with its^tti
tude and methods Charles Roden Buxton was the son of Sir T Fowell
Buxton, the Governor of Victoria in Austraha Lees-Smith had attended
my Dunkin lectures on economics at Oxford and was now not only an
M P but a corporal m the Bntisb Army They were all later to become
members of the Labour Party m Parliament, and several of them were
my colleagues in the Covenunent of 31

At first we were able to hold piibhc meetmgs everywhere and state
our case, but as tune went on. an organized opposition was worked up
by a section of the Press, which represented us as opponents of the brave
men who were figfatmg the country s battles Our meetmgs m London
were accordingly broken up I remember one m particular where, as
chairman, I was thrown from the platform It was a novel but not a
very alarming experience, as the floor was only a few feet below m
the middle of the struggle a young soldier called out “Don’t hurt the old
man " I heard the epithet with some amusement I was only 43
After that we came to the conclusion that there was no useful purp<^
in holdmg meetmgs where they only served to mflame the pubbc mind,
and we earned on our propaganda m other places and in other waj"*.

TH E i I R ST wo RLD W A K II5

Some of our best support cam6 from inside the Army Soldiers 011 leave
came to tell us that many of the more tlioughtful of their colleagues shared
our views One young officer paid us several visits On the last occasion
he said to us ' Your principles are now so firmly established that if I have
to die now I shall die happy *' He went back to the Front and shortly
afterwards was kiUed m action

Lees-Smith, in the course of a speech m the House of Commons on
December 21, 1916, made the following statement

“I have recently returned from France, where I have been for the
past seven or eight months, it is true m a very subordinate position
m the ranks, but nevertheless in one in which 1 have been able to form
some judgment of what ordinary soldiers, the rank and file, arc saying
and thinkmg when they are among themselves I wish to tell the
House most emphaticaUy that I am absolutely certain that if you
put It to the men out there whether, provided we can get guarantees
that our honourable obligations will be fulfilled, we should make a
serious effort to negotiate, such a proposition would be carried not
only by an overwhelming majonty, but with practical unanimity '

The Government and the House of Commons, however, took an entirely
different view, and Jlr Lloyd George, who had become Prime Minister,
declared m favour of the 'knock out-blow'

We decided to test public opinion at a succession of hy elections
I myself went to fight South Aberdeen in the spring of 1917 as a ‘peace
by negotiation’ candidate The campaign ran into nearly five weeks,
which the bitterly cold weather made particularly tr>ing On the
whole I received a good hearing, which ivas also extended to my wife,
to Lees-Smith, Ponsonby, Pat Dollan* and others But the advent of
Ramsay MacDonald created a storm, and the meeting which he was to
have addressed was dispersed in uproar Once, when I was speaking in
the open air, some of the crowd started throwing coal at me from a near by
h^p "Stand m front of that glass window, ' said my agent, who was
a canny Scot I followed his advice and the nussiles ceased

I have before me as I write a specimen of the literature I put out
during the election Here is the case I endeavoured to make

"There is a choice between two policies The first is peace by
negotiation the second is going on with the war for months and
months — perhaps for years Peace by negotiation does not mean
going to the Kaiser and asking what t«ms of peace he will graciously
give us and accepting those terras That would be peace by sur-
render Peace by negotiation means a peace in which Great Britain
and her Allies would insist upon certain irreducible terms and come
to a settlement with regard to the others It is sometimes said that
a peace made to-day would be a German peace Wliy > Germany,

' It IS true, IS. m possession of some of the Allied territory m Europe*
But the Allies have command of the seas, they have taken Soo.ooo
square miles of German territory in Africa and elsewhere, thej have

Recently Lord Provost ol Clasgo*

”6 FATE HAS BEEH KIND

established a blockade of Germany and the German people are in
RTcat misery from want of fpod A peace made to day would not
be a German peace but a peace favourable to the Allies "

I defined the irreducible terms as the mdtpendcnce and restoration of
Belgium, the evacuation of France and Serbia and the other Balkan
States. Trentmo for Italy* and a free passage through the Dardanelles
for Russia

I proceeded to give my reasons for believing that these terms might
^e secured, and went on

"Suppose, houever, that the rulers of Germany are not prepared
to make peace along these lines, then our attempt to get them to do so
will have done us nothing but good At present the German people
are persuaded by their rulers that our object in going on with the
war IS to crush them utterly And so they are all standing together
in the war against us But if the people learn that they could end
the war to-day on moderate terms, but that their rulers will not
consent, then we shall drive a wedge through the ranks of the Ger-
mans and turn the people against their rulers, and it will ^ much
easier for us to beat them "

On the other hand, I argued that an acceptance of such a peace would be
a defeat for the German military party, one of whose organs had recently
declared that if Germany did not secure the coast of Flanders she would
have lost the war

FinaJly I asked what was the alternative, apd what would be the
sequel to a protracted struggle m which hundreds of thousands of British
soldiers 11‘ould be killed and a vast additional war debt incurred I
gave my answer as follows

‘At the end it may be that weareabJe to inflict a crushing .blow on
Germany, but it is not possible to destroy a nation and so keep i.t
permanently down Na^leon tried it with Prussia a hundred years
ago and failed Bismarck tried it fifty >’ears ago’with France and
failed However severely we punish Germany, whatever restric-
tions we impose, nothing can prevent some future generations of
Germans rising again against us if they aJJ animated by the sense
of burning injustice and furious revenge

On polling day the electorate gave a decisive verdict against the
policy I was advocating and in favour of continuing the war till Ger
many was crushed I secured only 333 votes, while ray successful
opponent polled 3283 and an Independent National 1507 But I left
many new personal friends in the constituency when I returned South
to my Surrey home

About this tune German Zepjoelms began to come across and some
of them dropped a few bombs One fell m a building just behind my

• Italy bad been persuaded la break with Gennaay and Austria and come into the
on the side of the AUies The pact relating to this foraed one of the secret treaties sub
se<iuently published by the Bolsneviks

THE FIRST-WORLD WAR

''4 M ^ did a slight amount of damage Shortly

Offiah c^ed on me, and said that as
wanted for the headquarters of the Ministry I must
a MW flft’ f '*’'* I secured aSi extension of time and found

an"!? K ^ *“"■ ‘“whioli the Government moved my furniture

•'ad been a bomb, which had fallen
SS, *'•' 5 ^ Another fell a few weeks later in Stone Buildings only

I fcliT ' t='n™l=sr noticing that in accordance with scientific theory
the " split second before 1 heard it It made a hole m

mart 1°™° deep, and pock-

raarM the adjoining office The only ill eHect that I suffered was'tot
tne soot came down my chimneyl «

Apart from the major issues of the war, I had for some time past been

th^ Roy(U Economic Journal for December 1915, I had dealt with the
£h that lack of money was likely to bring the war to an early
S?,: ? .u cntiazed the practice of getting the banks to lend

money to their clients to relend to the Government 1 showed that this
wS enriched the banks, and that the public

w^ mulcted twice over— at the time m enhanced prices, and afterWds
by haviM to pay mterest on the debt I now turned my attention to the
fin^cial situation which was likely to arise when the war was over

fhe popul^ opinion was that the country as a whole was m some mvs.

• Y^y the burden of paying for the war on to posterity

MQ mat Its capital resources were being substantially reduced I took
a contrary view I held that the country was of necessity pavmff for th#.
w^ ai the time, m the services of its soldiers, sailors, and airmen in the
labour of its munition workers, m the physical deprivations which its
atuen^ere enduring Its capital was m the mam suffering no dimmu-
tion The real danger was that a state of internal strain was beme
created owing to the rapid growth of the national debt and the risme rat?
of Jnterest After the war, the soldiers returning from the front and the
""^th-less classes generally would be loaded down, for years to come
With the necessity of meeting the claims of the bondholders, before satis’
*ying their own needs and developing the resources of the nation

I therefore advocated that at the end of the war there should be a
graduated levy on capital sufficiently large to sweep away the whnl*. r.-
a g^eat part of the national debt The book which I wrote embodvinty
these views roused considerable pubhc attention and ran mtn

• ^tions, the first of which was published m April igifi Whilp if

'fit ^ stockbroker and was thSi J

Liberal Member of Parliament, quite independently made a si^h ,n
the House of Commons on almost identical lines Our commAn^*
naturally brought us together, we became close friends, and
colleagues in the second Labour Government My advocarv
^pital levy brought me also m contact with George
He regarded the scheme as impracticable The Fabi^ SnriAf,, *
debate between him and myself which took place in the Essex ^

Now Lord Arnold of Hale.

ii8

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

It was not until the middle of 1918 that my age group came within the
Conscription Act and I was called up I was then 46 Beheving as I
did that the war could and should be brought to an end by a negotiated
peace I could not very well §0 out to fight for Mr Lloyd Georges knock
out blow I accordingly went before a tribunal in Dorking as a con
scientious objector 1 liad thought the matter over very carefully and
had come to tlie conclusion that I was not prepared to say that I was
against war in circumstances which seemed to me to justify a resort to
ariTA I was therefore one of those who tribunals elsewhere had
th-cidetl were political and not strictly conscientious objectors N'ever*
theless the Clerk to the Council told the tribunal that he Icnew I had held
my views for a considerable time, and the raiUtary representative said that
he did not* particularly 'want this man So I was awarded exemption
conditional on my doing work of national importance, and work on the
land was indicate

I was at first doubtful whether I was justified in taking this compan
tively easy way out while other men were facing the horrors of the
trenches as soldiers or alternatively the prison cell as conscientious
objectors But I came to the conclusion that I could not very well refuse
to help to grow food for the nation and after some trouble with the
directing committee m London who did not seem to me to be clear whether
they wanted to punish me or to use ray services to the best advantage, I
got a job as a labourer at a wage of 27s 6 d a week on a farm found for me
by my friend Hankmson As it was partly m Sussex this satisfied the
committee that I should be put to sufficient inconvenience but 1 was
able to live at my own house and bicycle the six miles to and fro each da;r

The farmer was a delightful man and I soon became genuinely attached
to him and his family In addition to the unskilled work which I had no
difficulty m doing, I used to help him with filling up the numerous foims
which he had to send in from time to time to the authorities I remember
that on one occasion I had been gleaning for him and had brought back
a sack of bruised wheat I asked bun how much he got for it He said
Good wheat is controlled and fetches 84s , but this damaged stuff is
uncontrolled and I get 120s for it! One of his other labourers was a
Cockney artisan who bad been sent to the farm to recover his health 1
used sometimes to discuss politics with him, and we still occasionally
correspond

The war had now run for over four years Russia bad fought to a
standstill, had had two revolutions, and had been forced to accept the
hunuliatmg treaty* of Brest Litovsk The United States had come into
the war, and was daily increasmg her military and industrial effort
Tlie German people were growing more and more weary of war and its
privations and the German soldierssawthe hope of victory daily receding
President Wilson then did what we had m vain asked our own Go%c^
merit to do In his famous Pourteen Points^ he laid down the basis of a

•A Oimd ot mne me lie naa prneat nbea Lenia and Troliky wrfe iU»<u»*ia4
tl ( treaty Ufore it wa» agreed on Trouky »aid It *a» loo d ihooowaUe to l^L
iJut aajJUnn our kJJ er» ha>« voted for n. Voted! T/oiUy /Tber

bad no chance ol votin* Oh ye*, utd Leolo they have voted 11 artr/eA
1 Ic relened ol coufve to the lact iLat they had retreated

t Ucfrrrme tb ll ece Clew enc«au is to have declared U/au 1/ fon O re • < f

IN SEARCH OF A SEAT II9

possible peace These points, which bore a striking resemblance to the
terms which the Union of Democratic Control had long enunciated, had
an imdoubted effect on German morale By offenng them an alternative
to a contmuation of a hopeless struggle they helped to sap their will to
fight on The German High Command asked for an armistice, and at
eleven o'clock on the morning of November ii, 1918, the order to cease
fire was given

In London as the hour struck the whole population by common
impulse left their workshops, their offices, and their houses and came out
on to the street I mingled with the dense throng There was no sign
of frothy exultation The one thought appeared to be of thankfulness
that the killing had come to an end, that loved ones could now return
home, that hatred could be bamshed, that the work of destruction was
ended, and the constructive rebuilding of the world could begin

CHAPTER XII

IN SEARCH OF^A SEAT

Th« coupon election— My wiles candidature— ^Sweeping Conservative gam*—
Divergent British views— The Treaty ot Versailles— A lecture temr in U S A
—Justices Brandeisaod Wendell Heuffles— Aisenca rejects the
Pne4s Rtse and FaU—\ new hoin»— Andorra— Inactivity — LtgM »» ika PoiA—
Defeat at Idington— European journey — Benes— A fight in Leicester— CbumhiU
as an opponent— The count— M P at last

The bells of Armistice Day had scarcely ceased ringing when a general
election was announced Mr Idoyd George and Mr Bonar Law had
decided to cash in' on the national victory, and they issued a letter of
commendation, popularly known as the 'coupon' to all candidates who
stood on their ticket Opposed to them were Mr Asquith's Liberals,
and the Labour Party, which had been divided about the war but was
united about the peace Suxee the last election there had been, a redis-
tribution of seats, manhood suffrage with proxies for absent voters, and
the enfranchisement of many nuUKWis of women Many of the contests
were three-cornered Polling day was fixed for December 14, X918, and
the votes were to be counted on December 28

As far back as April 1918 1 had been adopted as the prospective Labour
candidate for Hastogs I had made no secret of my views on the war
and of my intention, m consequence, to refusfe mihtary service. I had
visit^ the constituency several times smee then and expounded the full
Labour programme But when I actually became a consaentious ob-
jector, and adverse comment was made in the press, I found direction
expressing itself in the inner circle of my supporters Accordingly i
Withdrew at the beginning of November, and as no other opportunity of
fightmg presented itself I was not a candidate at the general election
In these arcumstances my wife fdt herself free to accept the mvita
tion of the local Labour Party m the Rnsholme division of Manchester
to contest that seat m the Labour interest She knew, of course that
there was little prospect of success The local party had scarcely any

120 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

organization; and the Act making women eligible as candidates for Par-
liament had only just been passed But she welcomed the opportumty
to give pubUc expression to her coavictvon that the kind of peace fore-
shadow^ by the Government would bring disaster to our country and to
Europe as a whole.

I spoke at a number of her meetings, but naturally many other con-
tests ailso claimed my attention Our personal friends rallied round her.
In particular, she had the. devoted assistance of Max Plowman, who,
though better known as an author and poet, proved himself an effectii’c
organizer and a tower of strength to her in her campaign A remarkable
feature of the election was the support she receiv^ from soldiers, who
spoke at her meetings, and canvass^ and distribute leaflets on her
behalf When, a fortmght after election day, the absent soldiers’ \ ole was
added to the poll she came out second in the three-comcre contest, in
front of the Asquithian Liberal candidate But the verdict of the con-
stituency and the general election had gone against us In a sentence she
summed up her view of the result “The people have voted for another
war ”

Altogether the supporters of Gov emment secured no fewer than 533
scats out oi A total ol 707 01 th<^, 383 « ere Untooists, w ho therclore had
a clear majority of the House Mr Lloyd George’s own following in the
Coahtion consisted of 127 Sinn Fein secured 73 .Mr Asnuith s 'free
Liberals were reduced to 34 and were at once dubbed the '\Vce Frees .
Labour increased its representation to 63 But Ramsay .\facDoruM
suffered a bad defeat m West Leicester, and most of my other persorul
fnends failed to secure election By this result the great Liberal majonty
ol 1906 was finally destroyed, and from that time onward, with two short
intervals, right up to 1940. the government of the country was m the
hands of the Conservative Party

INSEARCUOFASEAT 121

problems I was m full sympathy with this programme and supported it
in speech and writing

The Conservative elements regarded the Soaalist Governments of
Central Europe with suspicion and that of Russia with extreme repug-
nance They wanted a punitive peace, and they wanted Germany ‘to
be squeezed till the pips squeaked’ to pay for the war One hundred
Coalition M P s telegraphed to Mr. Lloyd George, who was at the peace
conference with President Wilson and M Clemenceau, urging him to be
stern with Germany They induced the Government to send arms in
support of the counter-revolution m Russia, and some of them would
have liked to carry Britam into war to light against Lenm’s Bolshevik
Government.

In May igig came the Tre^^ty of Versailles I welcomed the forma-
tion of the L^gue of Nations and of iti satellite the I L 0 (International
Labour Organization), but the other main provisions of the treaty I
thought disastrous In the territonal clauses, placing millions of Germans
outside the new boundaries of Germany, I saw the seeds of future war,
though I did not suppose it would come m my tune The fin^cial
clauses, claiming vast sums as reparations, I regarded as contrary to the
terms of the armistice Moreover, as an economist I knew them to be
impossible of fulfilment They would only serve therefore to distract
attention from the real question as to who, inside our own country, was
to pay off the war debt But stupidest of all m my opmion was the
inclusion of a declaration placing on Germany the sole responsibility for
the war \Vhatever the actual merits, it served no useful purpose It
brought to the Allies neither material gam nor additional secunty. and
signed, as it was, by the German Government under duress, it carried no
conviction, and was certain to be repudiated as soon as circumstances
allowed Its historical parallel was the decision of the ancient Romans to
pass the defeated Sabmes under the Caudine Forks

In. the autumn of iqtg, I was invited to join a party of Left \i^g
politicians on a lecture tour to the United States, and I readily accepted.

It proved a most interesting visit 1 gave a number of different lectures
to a great variety of audiences One of my largest was at Lehigh, where
I lectured to the whole University and half the town, in the great college
chapel The most influenti^ was the QuiU Club in New York, when I
^Ue to some 200 business men and bankers on the solvency of
Europe

On the social side, also, I had a most enjoyable tune In New York
I stayed with my friends Percy and Alice Jackson m their house on 57th
Street and was made a temporary member of his club I went down to
the Henry Street Settlement near the Bowery, and attended a fine per-'
formance at the 'Neighbourhood' theatre organized by Alice Lewisohn.
The actors were drawn from the cwraopolitan population of this famous
section of the city I stayed at Washington with my friend the hbranan
of Congress, and while there I attended the inaugural meeting of the
I L .0 I went north to Boston to meet the 20th Century Club, and south
as far as Cmcinnati, where I lectured at the ^Vlse Centre organized by the
Jewish commumty there I attended a conference of pohticiaus m St
Louis, who were trying to form a new Farmer-Labour Party I revisited
Hull House in Chicago and its president Jane Addams. I nude the

INSEAHC1IOFA9EAT 123

appointed to investigate the taxation of war wealth and I, as a leading
exponent of the proposal for a capital levy, was invited to give evidence
and submit myself to cross-examination on it I expressed the view
that, in an economic sense, the war had already been paid for, at the time,
by the exertions of the people Therefore the existence at its close, of
the huge national debt constituted an unreal situation which I contended
ought to be relieved by imposing a levy on capital othenvise I foresaw
a long continuance of heavy annual taxation and of the maldistribution
of wealth In its report, the Committee contented itself with stating
that a levy on war wealth was practicable, and left the final decision to
the House of Commons, which turned it down

Shortly aft^r this, I was commissioned by the Oxford University Press
to wnte a short book on Why Prtccs Rise ani Fall, for their senes "The
World of Today" It was well received and ran into a second edition
I reproduce a few sentences from a spirited and highly eulogistic
review which appeared in the 'Nation, written, I believe, by Leonard
Woolf

"Why Frtces Rise and Fall carries you straight into the limitless
desert of the dismd science, into those and regions mhabited by
'marginal increment', 'the law of increasing returns’, 'the law of
diminishing returns', 'economic rent’, ‘foreign exchanges' Mr
Lawrence shirks nothing, he takes his reader firmly by the hand and
plunges him straight into the icy waters of economics, but he does it
with such kindness and such skill with sudi simplicity and such evi-
dent enjoyment, that even the most timid and inexperienced will
soon find himself making a stroke or two on his own account
We have never met with a book containing more instruction and
argument to the square inch than this one and >et it remains emi-
nently readaWe The secret of Mr Lawrence's miracle is simply
that he explains and argues almost entirely through concrete examples,
and that his examples are chosen \vith great skill from events which are
very near to the ordinary reader s everyday life at the moment It
sounds simple enough, but anyone who has experienced the difficulty
of finding one apposite 'example' will be amazed by ^Ir Lawrence’s
unerring instinct for hitting the nail always precisely on the
head "

That autumn my wife went on another lectunng tour to the United
States Before she left, she and I came to a decision to give up The
Mascot, our country house in Holmwood There were se\er^ reasons for
this, of which the prmcipal was that we wanted to simplify our life
Accordingly, v.e disposed of all our Holmwood property and bought a
site m Peaslake I designed a labour-savmg cottage which we proposed
to run without a staff of resident servants The foundation stone was
duly laid on March 24, 1921 In it we placed, as relics of the tune, a few
coins and a ration card left over from the ivar On the outride of it we
carved the ancient Sign of Life (When later we found to our disgust
that this symbol was adopted as the Swastika of the Nazis we had it cut
outl) We came into residence there the followang October, and ever
since Thave found it a pleasant relief from political hfe to take charge of

^*4 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

part of the cooking, which I regard as an extension of the chemistry expen-
raents of my boyhood

^ bad a great deal of leisure m those years 1920, 1921 and 1922 I
had expected to devote a considerable amount of time to nursing South
Islington, but I failed to discover very much tliat I could to do introduce
myself to the electorate It was largely a dormitory constituency, so
that most of the men were away in the daytime, and wanted to stay at
home in the evenings As a great proportion of the people lived m upper
floors of converted mansions, they were almost inaccessible to visits or to
hand delivered leaflets Moreover, as there were tio halls 0/ any size
available for public meetings, the best I could do was to speak m the local
schoolrooms from time to time During those years I did general propa-
ganda work for the Labour Party all over the country I wrote another
small book for the Oxford University Press and I lectured on the levy on
capital

Since I left the University I had never had much time to keep up my
lawn tennis, except at week-ends m my own garden or m those of my
friends But after the war, my wife's brother, Tom Pethick, who had
been an mtemational hockey player and was still a great exponent of
doubles play m lawn tennis, introduced me to the tournaments in the
Isle of Wight, where he lived I entered with zest into these competi-
tions, both there and in other places and, though I never got anywhere
near winning one of the level events, I often got through a few rounds,
and in the handicaps earned off several prizes It was interesting, too,
to come up against many of the stars m the tennis world I myself
belonged to the class of those of whom it may be said that we were great
players compared with 'rabbits', and ‘rabbits' compared with the great
player$ But our middle position gave us a lot of fun

In the mixed doubles I frequently had as my partner Phyllis Floud,
the wife of Sir Francis Floud. and one Whitsuntide she ‘and her husband
made up a party with us and three other friends to visit Andorra, the
tmy republic which lies m the Pyrenees between France and Spam We
stayed at Las Escaldas at the confluence of two gushing streams The
scenery was enchanting, and the walk up to the mountain pass, which
leads over into France, was the most invigorating I have ever taken
The life of the people, too, interested us greatly They cultivated vine-
yards in terraces right up to the top of many of their hills, they bred
horses, they wove blankets and a few of them made a living by smuggling
tobacco over moimtam byways into the neighbouring countries fhey
had only a tmy one-room^ prison, and they id not remember when that
was last used The land descended from fathw to eldest son and all the
younger sons were expected to emigrate to prevent the country becoming
congested

All this was very delightful, but I ^vas far from satisfied I desired
intensely to have something to do which I could regard as really worth
while — some pubUc work which would utilize to the full my powers and
absorb all my energies As days went by and weeks became montlw
and my fiftieth birthday was reached and passed, and I Was still outside
the mam current of hfe^s activity, a sense of frustration took hold of me
and I became depressed Since then I have appreciated, more than I
had ever done before, that lack of eamuigs is only one part of the bitter-

IN SEARCH OF A SEAT 12,

ness of the lot of the unemployed Terribly galluiK is the sense nf hem„
^wanted, and of becommg a mere onbo'Lfr rthVm4gIe of

hJ ‘o wondering what, after all. was the purpose of erislence? I
had always been attracted to oriental art and though^ and I now started
to read some books on Eastern Wisdom— Su- Edwin Arnold s LtM at
BhagamdCtia, Max Mullers translations of the Upanifhlife
mm written down by MC" There w 2

somethii^ withm me that responded instinctively to the profound ide^
contained in these boofa and I found myself, as I read them, saymg over
and over again. Yes that is true " I learnt that the central cS^alpZn
htUe religloRs thought is the same-that hfe is one and that our
little selves are merely fragments of the great whole To this doctrine
u'Y But those who have travelled the same

‘•'“S •'t® ™t"‘* >>y n siugle procfSTo

repster apeement, it is qmte another for such a truth to be^prehended
by the whole personahty and to permeate all thought and action

rapidly m the autumn of 1022
The l^htlon split in October Mr Lloyd George ceased to be Prime
M mister, and his place was taken by Mr Bonar Law A dissolution
followed immediately, and polbng day was fixed for November i? In
south Ishngton there was a three-cornered contest In spite of two vears
of nursing the seat I needed much help to get my name across id a
number of my outside friends ralhed to ray support Mr Claude Rown-
tree came down specially from Scarborough to put in long davs in the
committee rooms, and Miss JIaude Royden gave a rousing speech m a
cm^a which I was able to secure for the final Sunday before the poll
by the time that the electorate as a whole vtoke up to the fact th”^ a
labour candidate was in the field, a considerable number of them had
already pledged themselves to one of my opponents

I shall never lorget the day of the count (November i6) It started
m good time m the morning and went on, with an interval for lunch well
into the afternoon So far as I was concerned it was a case of ’cuttm? nff
a dog s tail by inches’ As I wandered behind the tables and saw the thr^J
JitUe piles of ballot papers— for Garland. Pethick Lawrence and Wile?-_
m front of each teller, mounting higher and higher, I began to notice f fi->*
m the majority of them ray pile was a little lower than the others Som '
times I had a run of luck, and my spirits rose, only to be dashed
mately aftenvards w hen the former dispanty was more thug restored^T**

«st It was finished, and the returning officer declared the result j

7877, Wiles 7352, Pethidc Lawrence 6634 ^land

I was bitterly disappomted It seemed as if I was Iikelv to ht,-.
wait a further four years before having another chance to contf^t ^
and even then there was ijo certamty that I would be elected.
read how well Labour candidates had done elsewhere and that ^

s^ts the Party strength in the House of Commons had been
felt my own exclusion all the more acutely I was still m I

of mmd when I got a telegram mvitmg im to be one of the

^26 FATE HAS BEEN KJNJ>

big meeting m London to celebrate the striking advance that labour had
made I realized at once that I must accept, but I had a hard struggle
witli myself before I was ready to put my personal defeat m its proper
perspective, and genuinely to rejoice m the results of the election I
won the struggle, and it acted like a tonic From that day onward I
never looked back

I decided at once not to fight again m South Islington, and, on the
advice of my friend Sydney Arnold, not to tie myself up with another
constituency until an election was actuaUy m sight After Christmas my
wife and I paid a visit to two of our suffrage friends in Munich

The German mark was then m the middle of its downward course
Our excellent board and lodging cost us, m English money, 2s a day
Tram fares had just been put up before our arrival from 75 marks to 100
marks (nominally £3 15s to £5) for the shortest journey and the day we
left there was a notice up m the cars that m the followmg week they
would become 150 marks Our friends told us that a few months pre
viously they had been left a little legacy Rather extravagantly, as they
felt, they had bought with it a few dozen bottles of wine, but now, having
drunk the contents, they found that they could sell the empty bottles for
more than the original sum I

The following Easter {1923) I decided on a more ambitious journey
My friend Hanlanson was established m Buda Pest as the agent of the
Friends for relief work, and at his invitation I visited him there and went
on with him into Transylvania, which by the Treaty of Trianon had now
become part of Roumania I travelled via the Hook of Holland to
Germany, and stayed the night m Leipzic From there I went through
Czechoslovakia to Vienna and down the B«tnabe on the river boat to
Bu^ Pest In all, I crossed six frontiers and as passports customs and
currency all had separate controls the combined examination occupied
over two hours on ^ch occasion

I thought the Hungarian capital the most lovely city in the world
with the majestic Danube flowing between the low-Iying streets of Pest
and the lordly heights of Buda But politically it was gravely disturbed
Not only was there a gaping internal chasm between wealth and starva
tion, with memories of the Communist regime of Bela Khun to fan the
animosity but external relations with- neighbouring countries were
thoroughly bad The people of Hungary were smarting under the loss
of territory, imposed on them by the peace treaty, and fanatically deter
mined never to rest till the boundaries had been thrown back to their
■former lines

I remember that I went one day with Hankinson to Estergom, where
he had a relief centre After midday dinner, while he was at work, I
strolled up a hill behind the sanatonum, from the top of which I had a
magnificent view of the Danube and of the scenery on the other side A
man came up with his little girl and I exchanged a few words with him m
broken German, in which I referred to the different countries that "ere
in sight On the way down to my surprise he became aggressive and
wanted to take me under arrest to the lo^ police station, but I managed
to escape from him and rejoin my fnends Apparently he had taken roe

On^y way home I broke my journey at Prague and bad a Jong talk

^28 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

Elector and had it delivered by hand to every household by our own

supporters

If Churchill troubled to flunk at all about my personality, he no
doubt was of opinion that a prominent Liberal like himself was more
likely to appeal to the robust radicalism of Leicester than a man who had
been sent to prison m the suffrage agitation, had been a conscientious
objector m the war, and was advocating a levy on capital But I was
magnificently supported The focal people worked splendidly The
fine orgamzation origmally built up by Ramsay MacDonald and his wife,
when he was one of the two M P s for the undivided city, gave a very good
account of itself I remember calling together at the beginning of the
election one of the ward committees So large was the attendance that
I thought a pubhc meetmg had been announced fay mistake Keen as
they were on the Labour cause, and well disposed as they felt to me per-
sonally, I have no doubt that the presence of my redoubtable opponent
served to inflame their enthusiasm,

Harry Peach, a man highly respected m Leicester, arranged an mvita-
tion meetmg of his fellow busmess men for me to address on the capital
levy It was well attended and I was given a careful hearing I do not
suppose that I made any definite converts but I know that many of them
went away with the feeling that the question was worthy of further
consideration I also had the help of many outside Labour speakers
Munel Matters, the suffragette who had chamed herself to the 'grille'
m the ladies' gallery of the House of Commons, won over all her audiences
by the charm of her advocacy

But not /or the first time, my pnncipal political support was my wiie
She inspired the workers with her personality and by her stimng speeches
at aU my meetings she moved the hearts as as the heads of the Leices-
ter audiences TVhat was perhaps even still more important, she sensed
the real d^ger of my position, and took steps to avert it Winston
Churchill was already a nation^ figure whose name was m ever^ooes
mouth I was a comparatively unknown person How was the requisite
publicity for me to be obtained ’ She wrote an election song and insisted
at every meeting that the audiences should smg it, and should promise
to teach it to the children The chorus rang

Vote vote vote for petluck Lawreacel

Work, work work and do yoor betti

If aU worken we carol, he is sure to head the poU.

And we 11 have a Labour man for Lmceater Wmt

It was set to the tune of Tramp, tramp, tramp’ The children soon got
hold of it They sang it in the streets, they sang it in their homes, and
they sang it on election day outside tJie schools where the voting v'a*
going on The Press said that they even bawled it into Churchill s c^i
as he went round the constituency I have not the slightest doubt that
this brilliant move was an important factor in the final result

There was a third candidate in Ihe field. Captain Instone, who stood
as a Unionist and supported Ihe /till protectionist policy of Vr BJdwm,
while Churchill and 1 both advocated the contmuance of Free Trade.

The previous election had also been three-cornered, and therefore it pn>
vidcd a "Suable yardstick with which to measure the normal support

u \ c K B B N c H i R lag

for each of the parties hvery morning wJien 1 got up 1 wondered whether
Churclull would spring some clever surprise on the constituency whicli
would work my discomfiture, and every night as I went to bed I said to
myself, "So far, my predecessor's 4000 majority has not been impaired "
I think Thi Times election correspondent must have formed the same
opimon, when he came to Leicester a few days before the poll For,
referring to the fact that his visit coincided with the sgjrd anniversary
of the death of Cardinal Wolsey in Leicester Abbey, he suggested that
though Churchill came to 1 eicester like a conqueror, he might suffer at
my hands politically the same fate that the Cardinal was subjected to by
Henry VIII

I thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of the election and my natural
energy proved quite equal to all the demands that were made upon it
All the same, I was not sorry when December 6 arrived, the day fixed for
the poll So long as it was light, I toured the constituency and made
contact with my opponents The children were everywhere in evidence
singing my wife s election song The count for all the city divisions fol-
lowed m the de Montfort Hall, immediately after the close of the poll
This time I noticed that at nearly every table my pile of votes easily over-
topped those of each of my opponents The figures of the final result
were as follows

r W P«thick Lawrence (Lab) 13634

\V S Churchill (LJ 9*36

Captain A Instone (U ) 7 696

Thus the 4000 Labour majority had been comfortably mamtamed
\Vhen the figures were announced Churchill came up to me and, con-
gratulatmg me, said Well, anyhow it is a victory for Free Trade *’
Outside the hall the result was one of the first lo be declared It was
regarded generally as among the most sensational of the whole general
election

CHAPTER XHl

BACK BENCHER

t ife m Parliament — A billiard match— An odd dinner party— A political puzzle—

Asquith s pronouncement — Labour in office — Procedure of the House

Maiden speech — Neville Chamberlain — I^rty allegiance— The Inter parlia
mentary Union — The Zinoviev election — Narrow victory lo Leicester

My election to Parliament changed the whole course of my life Since
then, with a short interval from 2931 lo 1935, my activities Have had their
centre m the House of Commons A large part of my waking hours has
been spent within its precincts My fellow Members have been mv
personal friends My political education has been at' their hands The
confidence they have reposed in me has been a coiiitant source of satis-
faction and has inspired me to give of my best I have enjojed witness-
ing and taking part in the battle of wits m the Chamber, and m the les?
spectacular encounters m the committee rooms upstairs I have had most

F

130 TATE UAS BEEN KINI)

pleasant associations with the two constituencies I have represented
Even when I have been out of the country, the prestige of a Member of
the British House of Commons has gone with me, and has the

value of my joumeyings Truly fate has been kind to me in providing
this enlargement of my individual life

Naturally the full realization of this did not come all at once But I
remember I was deeply thrilled when I paid my first visit to the House of
Commons as a Member Owuig to the proximity of Christmas, Parlia-
ment was not to assemble unfil the New Year (1924), but I was invited
to meet the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Bruce, at a small luncheon
party in the House of Commons The function had been arranged by
Sir Howard d’EgviUe, the able secretary of the Empire Parliamentary
Association Of oourse I accepted, I went and was duly impressed

The next repercussion of my election was curiously enough m the
realm of sport A 'benefit' billiard match was bemg arranged m which
13 leading professionals, playing successively in 12 sessions, conceded
nearly two-thirds of the game to 12 amateurs I was certainly not one
of the best 12 amateur players m the country, but the publicity given to
my political success secured me a place m the team VVe played in the
Buiroughes Hall and I was pitted against John Diggle I did not quite
score my points on the handicap but thoroughly enjoyed the expenence
On the aggregate contest the amateurs won Some time later, I was
asked to give away the prizes m a bilhard match between leadmg]ocke>s
The matdi was preceded by a knock-out tournament of 200 up for eight
of the best professionals which was all run through in less than two
hours! I remember one heat m particular m which one of the pla>ers
had only one turn, his opponent m his second visit to the table scored the
whole of his 200 points 1

An interesting function which took place in the House of Coiamons
before Parhament met was an ex-pnsoners' dinner for Members of Parlia-
ment, which was given by Mr Scott Duckers There were some 18
of us altogether, and we had been impn^ned for a variety of pohtical
causes George Lansbury and I had ‘done tune' m connection with the
militant suffrage movement Some of the party were 'absolutist' con
saentious objectors Others, like Maxton, Kirkwood and E D Morel,
the secretary of the Union of Democratic Control, had come up against
DORA (the Defence of the Realm Act) A final batch consisted of the
Poplar Borough Councillors, including Susan Lawrence and John Scurr,
who had disobeyed the law in the interests of the indigent folk in their
borough Naturally the conditions of prison life figured largely in our
talk, and we laid plans to turn our expenence to good account when
prison reform was bemg discussed on the floor of the House A stifl
quainter dinner party was suggested later It was to consist of all those
of us who at one time or another had defeated Winston Churchill m a
Parliamentary Election— 'Jix' (Sir Williatn Jo>nson-HJCks).

Runaman, E D Morel, Scryrogeour (the prohibitionist), O W hicliol
son and m>self It would have been an odd assortment of personalities
and opuiions, but I expect we should ha\c found a topic of common
interest to discuss if tlje party bad ever materialized unfortunatelj it
ne%er did

BACKBENCHER I3I

The general election had created a novel Parlfamentar} situation
No one Party had an absolute majority m the House Out of a total of
615, the Conservatives topped the list with 258 Members, Labour came
next with igi, the Liberals had 158, and there were eight Independents.
There was great uncertamty as to the probable course of events, and one
rumour was that there would be a Coalition Government of Liberal
and J-abour I thought this would destroy the integrity of our Party
and was strongly against it I wrote accordingly to Ramsay MacDonald,
urging him not to be a party to this, and several other Labour M P s
expressed similar opinions He asked us to meet him to discuss the
matter at the ‘1917* Club of which we were all members, and he then
outlined his views He had no intention, he said, of entering into a
coalition, on the other hand it would be disastrous for Labour to insist
on remaining in opposition What he proposed was to form a Labour
Government, if invited to do so, and if assured in advance of sufficient
support I was not whoUy convinced at the time of the wisdom of this
course, but in spite of what happened afterwards I am satisfied today that
he was right

The House met on January 8 and I took my place with my Labour
colleagues 09 one of the back benches immediately to the left of the
Speaker’s Chair The Chair itself was vacant, and the quaint traditional
procedure was followed by which the Clerk pointed to one of the Members,
who then rose and proposed that Mr Wlutley should be the Speaker
After this motion had been seconded and approved by the House, the
mover approached Mr Whitley, who, again accor6ng to tradition, feigned
reluctance, but ‘consented to the will of the House’ and was led to the
Chair The swearing in of Members then began and lasted throughout
the remaining sittings of that week Woe betide a Member who should
take any part jn the proceedings before he was sworn m' He would
become subject to fantastic penalties The real business did not begin
until the following week, when the Kmg opened Parliament m person
in the House of Lords I had secured, by ballot, a seat in the gallery to
witness the ceremony , and a very gorg«ms pageant it certainly was, with
the ^eers in their red robes, the bishops with ^eir lawn sleeves, the peer-
esses in their Court attire, and the ‘faithful Commons' being summoned to
attend What made it all the more thrilling to me was that I was an
essential part of it, part of the tradition which had been handed down from
century to century, since the British Parliament first took its shape m the ,
days that I had read about in my history books at school

King George V had a fine voice and he always read his speeches witJi
great gusto It was difficult at times to remember that the words were
really those selected by his Ministers On this occasion a special political
interest attached to the speech, for by that time it was generally known
that the Ministers who had framed it would not be in office to implement
the proposals it foreshadowed The matter was not, however, put finally
and publicly beyond question until the third day of the debate on the
Address, when Mr Clynes moved an amendment on behalf of the Labour
Party submitting ‘that your Majesty's present advisers have not the
confidence of this House' It was then that Mr Asquith rose to declare
the intentions of the Liberal Party I had never been greatly impressed
by his oratory at public meetings, which had seemed cold and formal

^32 tATL HAS BEEN KIND

but now I realized at once that he was in his element in addressing the
House of Conunons He had, of course, an in)portant pronouncement to
make, but his speech was a masterpiece of exposition, every word of which
added to the effect that he intended to produce In common with the
rest of the House I was held spellbound

He went straight to the point “I say at once that I propose to vote
and to advise my friends to vote m favour of the amendment ” No
other course, he declared, would be compatible with the result of the
election, in which the Government had sought a verdict in their favour
from the electorate and had been refused it He did not shirk the con-
sequences He had no intention for himself or his Party of accepting
‘office without power' He realized that it was the Labour Party
which would step into the shoes of the existing Government He
proceeded

"It is said that this is not an ordinary case of the transfer of power
from one Party to another It means, for the first time, the installa-
tion of a Socialist Government in the seats of the mighty Few people
who have not had the melancholy privilege of reading my post-bag
for the last month will realize what this prospect means to a large and
by no means negligible mass of our fellow subjects I have had a
very large experience of the vagaries of postal correspondence I
have never come across more vir^ent manifestations of an epidemic
of political hysteria Notwithstanding my own compromising past
— I am supposed to have been the associate of rebels, and worse than
rebels, in days gone by — I have been m turn, during these weeks,
cajoled, wheedled, almost caressed, taunted, threatened, brow-
beaten, and all but blackmailed to step m as the ‘saviour of
society' ”

None of this, however, he said, shook his determination He saw no ,
reason why both in soaal legislation at home and in the 'reassertion of
the moral authority of Great Bntam in the councils of the world’, there
should not be co operation not merely between the Liberal Party and the
Labour Party but between large numbers of all Parties The Liberals
without for/eitmg their complete and unfettered independence were pre-
pared to make their contribution to that task

The words about ‘office without power’ and the unfettered mde-
qL PartJj were. tA be. enmemheted ux da-^s to come,

but for the moment our minds were centred on tlie immediate issue, and
of course Air Asquith’s speech settled it The result of the division
1 became a foregone conclusion Liberab and Labour voting togeth^

' cam^ the amendment by 328 to 256, Mr Baldwin resigned, and advised
the King to send for Mr KamsayMacDonald, nho immediately set about
forming his Government

I do not think it ever occurred to me that I might be included m tne
Mmistry, but as a matter of fact I very nearly was Vernon Hartshorn
told me some years later that MacDcmald, in appointing him Postmaster-
General, had suggested to bun that he might like to have me as Assistant
Postmaster He had rejected this proposal, he said, not for any personal
' opposition to myself, but because, unwisely, as he subsequcntl> realized.

BACKULNCUEK I33

he thought he Could do all the work himself and would not need a subor-
dinate Minister to assist him As a consequence, I spent the next five
years of my Parliamentary life as a back bencher, an experience which
I should otherwise have missed

When the House next met there had been a kind of 'general post’
The Conservatives occupied all the seats to the left of the Speaker, we
were on the benches nearest to him on the other side of ‘the floor', while
the Liberals, who were also on his right, sat below the 'gangway’, as the
little passage which runs across the House is colloquially called Of
course there could not be a revised Kings Speech, but Ramsay Mac-
Donald outUned the policy that he intended to carry tiirough and explained
that, in the exceptional circumstances of a Government without a major-
ity behind it, minor defeats would not be regarded as expressions of no
confidence He asked the House therefore to act as a Counal of State
He seemed to me at that time to have ail the qualities of a leader —
presence, sound judgment, a command of wor<b, and self confidence
without undue self-assertion

Most new Members find the procedure of the House very difficult to
understand, and I was glad when I was told m the Labour Party weekly
circular, known as The Whp, that a course of lectures were to be given
about It by my old friend and former pupil, Lees-Srmth But I confess
I was astonished when he said m the op^ng lecture that if we learnt
all he had to say in the course of the twelve he was giving, we should
probably know about two thirds of the procedure Experience has shown
me that he did not overstate its complexity and though 1 attended all
his lectures and assimilated most of his information and have added to it
since by personal experience. I should hesitate to say even now that I
have passed his two thirds mark Many Members, I am certain, do not
acquire so much, and there are quite a number who scarcely understand it
at all

It may be of mterest if I give one or two illustrations In the first
place, sittings in the Chamber are of two kinds There are sittmgs of
the House proper, when the Speaker or one of his deputies is m the Chair
and the mace is above the table On such occasions an M P is expected
to address his remarks to 'Mr Speaker or to ‘Mr Deputy Speaker’
There are sittmgs of the whole House as a committee when the mace is
below the table, the Speaker's Chair is untenanted and the Chai rman sits
by the side of the clerks nt the table The correct method of address is
then to refer to the Chairman by name The Spealcer never sits as a
chairman of committee but the regular chairmen are the Speaker's depu-
ties, and I have often heard even expenenced members of the House use
the wrong form of address

Committees of the whole House are of three kinds There is the Com-
mittee of Ways and Means, which is concerned with the raising of money
It IS before this committee that the Chancellor of the Exchequer opens his
annual Budget There is the Committee of Supply, when it is the pre-
rogative of the Opposition to arraign any Munster it pleases, and challffipe
him on any part of the admimstration of his office There are the com
mittees which go through Bills Ime by line and discuss amendments I '
every one of these committees there are elaborate rules as to what ma^
and what may not be said, and I ha\e mj seif expenenced the truth

134

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

remark, that the only sure way of imderstanding any one of them is to
have been 'called to order* at least once for breaking it

Then there are four kmds of BiUsh— Government Bills, Private Members’
Bills, Private Bills, and Hybrid Bills.'each with its special method of pro-
cedure * There are motions relating to policy, others ‘lor the adjourn-
ment , ‘to report progress’, or in the form of a 'prayer' that an order be
annulled There are rules about allotment of time There is the nght
of the Chair to ‘select’ amendments There are ‘closure’, the ‘kangaroo’,
and the ‘guillotine’ There is the quaint rule about addressing the
Chair, while a division is in progress, stated and covered, which means with
a hat on one’s head This was a simple enough matter m old days when
every M P had his top hat handy, but has led today to some absurd
improvisations of headgear which I have witnessed

A great deal of the work of the House of Commons is done not in the
Chamber itself, but m the committee rooms upstairs There sit the
‘standing committees’, such as the Committee on Public Accounts— the
premier committee of the House — of which 1 was at once made a member
and later became chairman, the Committee of Selection, and the Com-
mittee on Privileges There are also Select Committees to deal with
special matters, to which 1 have frequently been appointed, and the
legislative committees to deal with public and private Bills All these
carry on the official work of Parliament, and their personnel is selected
from the different Parties saupulously in proportion to the respective
numbers of the Party representation m the House itself

The committee rooms are also used for unofhcial groups of Members,
whose number is legion For instance, there was until recently a House
of Cqmmons branch of the League of Nations Union Soon after my
election I was invited to be a vice chairman of this group, the chairman
being a Conservative and the other vice-chairman being a Liberal, and
the secretary a Conservative, Lord Hartington (now Duke of Devon-
shire^ I remember one* critical occasion m international affairs when
the officers of this group went on a special deputation to Mr Baldwin,
who was then Prime Minister, and he spoke to us with engaging candour
about his ovwi Foreign Secretary, Mr Austen Chamberlain The rooms
are also used for Party meetings and for gathermgs of the general public,
provided at least one Si P is present and has taken the room in his name
When complaints are made, in the press and elsewhere, that only a few
Members are to be found sitting in the Chamber itself and Iistenmg to the
debate, all this committee room work must never be forgotten With-
out It a great deal of the essential value of Parliament would cease to

, ,

After I bad been a month in the House I made my 'maiden speech
on the subject of pensions for widowed mothers At that time, as I
jwinted out, if a man's death was due to natural causes no provision of
any kind was made for his widow or their children, and she had to under-
take the impossible dual tasks of breadwinner and homekeeper ily wife
and I had been m clo«e touch wuth Judge Neil, who had secured the
passage of this reform m many of the States of the USA, and I was w elJ
up in my subject VVlien the speaker who followe d me in the debate

• The diflereace la coMUtuUonal practice ui the Djuted Sutet li of il>e

which inakM latelligent uaclmUadiog ot Ibe JWwjedure ol Coogreet »o halfljag lolVimacrv

BACK BENCHER I35

con^atulated rao on my speech I was delighted, being liappily ignorant,
until some time afterwards, tliat it is one of the kindly traditions of the
House that complnnents are always paid to a maiden speech in this nay
the motion in favour of the proposal was agreed to m the House without
a division, but of course this was merely an expression of opinion on the
principle and not an active step towards its re^zation

On April 2 Walter Guinness (now Lord Moyne), who had been Financial
becretary to the Treasury in the previous Government, moved a motion
condemning the proposal for a Levy on Capital This gave me my
<^nce to move an amendment to the opposite effect and to set out my
scheme in full I got an attentive hearing, though my speech
must have been rather solid meat even for such an intelligent audience as
the House of Commons Neville Chamberlain, in wmding up the debate,
dealt mainly with the case which I had put I was not greatly impressed*
by his speech, which seemed to me at the time rather superfici^ and not
quite fair But of course I was not an altogether unprejudiced listener
in the division, the Liberals voted with the Conservatives against my
amendment, which was therefore defeated by 325 voles to 160

During the remainder of the session 1 ^d not have many oppor-
ti^ties to speak I found that the back benchers on the Government
side were wanted more for their votes m the division lobby than for their
voices m debate The instructions given to us were like those of my
childhood days — ‘to be seen and not heard* I did, however, intervene
once or twice m the discussions on the Budget , and I asked a few ques-
tions about matters in which I took a special interest For the rest I
was content, when I was not taking part in the multifarious activities,
outside the Chamber, to sit and listen to the debate Much of it in-
terested me, and I was very rarely bored except when there was deliber-
ate obstruction, and all the time I was gaming an insight mto the spirit
and traditions of the House

I found that I liked some Members more than others and that these
likes and disbkes cut across Party lines I discovered that my experience
in this respect was shared by many of my colleagues The House of
Commons is a pretty good judge of character and it makes up its mind
about a newcomer soon after he begins to take any active part m its pro-
ceedings Smeenty is the mam test If a man is obviously speaking
with conviction, the House of Commons will accept him however extreme
or biased he may appear to be to the vast majonty of bus fellow Jlembers
If they think he is merely playing to the gallery they have no use for hmi
But sincerity alone will not make them willing to listen to him still
less will It bring them specially mto tlie Chamber to hear him That will
depend upon whether he has some real contnbution to make to the
debate, and on whether he can say it effectively It took me a \erv
long time before I began to leam what are the essentials of a good parba^
mentary speech, and still longer before I could even try to put mv ^nw'
ledge into practice To this subject I will revert later ^

Party allegiance is rather a puzzle to outsiders Some of iht.
imagine that there must be a constant conflict between a man's
to his convictions and his obedience to the Party Whips
mother, no doubt without realizing it, expressed the idea m an ^ ^

form when she said to her daughter before we were married

*3^ KVTLilAiJJErNKiiy

him go into i’arhuncnt, Emmie, he has got far too pronounced opinions ’
I have found iii practice thal the dticnuna has %cry seldom arisen in my
^c, and that on the rare occasionsuhen it has done so tlicre has generally
a satisfactory uay of meeting it It must be remembered m the
first place that a Party consists ol those members whOdC consictions arc,
on major issues, sufficiently m accord to make them decide to act to-
gether Secondly, \^hcn new important issues arise the Labour Party
discusses them in advance, and it has been my good fortune to find that
iny viewpoint and that of the majority ol my colleagues have tisuall}
coincided Thirdly, there is the 'escape* clause in the Party constitution,
which entitles i member who has consaentious or other strong ground
for dissent to abstain from voting without thereby contravening Party
disrjpUne

But over and above all tins 1 liavc learnt that a man's individual
vole in the House is of far less importance than the influence that he
can exert on Ins ovvn Party from within for the cs>cncc of cffcctiv c politi-
cal activity is teamwork That is why some M Ps whose utterances
appear profound to outsiders cut little tee inside the ffouse If a man is
spring for himself alone he is just one out of 615 , but if he is the mouth-
piece of a Party or a group then the strength of Ins voice is multiplied by
the numbef vvhom he is representing In accordance with this view I
have concentrated upon trying to bung my Party into Ime with me on
questions on whicti l have had speaal Imowlcdgc or strong convictions,
and I have been willing to accept their guidance on other matters

As the session wore on. a good of dissatisfaction began to be
expressed inside the ranks 0/ the Labour Party at the meagre legislative
achievements of the Government Philip Snowden's Budget was re
garded as good as far as it went, but not essentially different from what
might liavc been expected from a Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer,
the problem of unemployment remamed unsolved, there was no attempt
to nationalize industry, the lot of the worker was not substantially im
proved In answer to criticisms along these lines it vvas pointed out that
everything could not be done in (he first session and further (hat no Bill
could reach the Statute Book unless it had Liberal support To this the
cntics rejoined that it w ould be better to go down with colours flying than
to lower the flag in the hope of keeping the ship afloat I occupied a
somewhat middle position between these extremes of left and right
opinion I shared the disappointment at the apparent inaction, but I
thought that the country would have been annoyed if the Prime Minister,
havmg taken office, had almost immediately courted defeat

In the realm of ad min istration, which is only indirectly subject to
jMThamentary control, (hero was more to show This was particularly
true in foreign affairs Ramsay MacDonald had chosen to be his own
Foreign Secretary, and he was surprisingly successful m winmng the
goodwill of both France and Germany He also brought off a three-
power naval agreement between ourselves, the Umted States, and Japan
These were spectacular achievements, but m his relations with the Soviet
Umon he was not so happy, and an agreement was not reached until the
Labour Party outside the Government bad intervened in the matt^

This intervention incepsed the Conservatives and was frowned on bv
the Liberals, and the ratification of the agreement it«elf was held up

B A C K D E N C H E R IJ7

AnoMier controversial issue was the proposal contained in the 'prutorol .
by which Britain was pledged to support collective security by force if
necessary This also awaited the approval of the House of Commons

In July, my wife and I attended the Ro>al Garden Party and we also
went to an evening At Home in Buckingham Palace, at which, if I
remember right, only the L;\bour Members were present The King sent
for several of us m turn and had a few words of private conversation
He discussed with us our part in the suffragette campaign and my defeat
of Winston Churchill in the election 'He asked me whether I did not
think, in spite of that, that Churchill was a man who ought to be in the
House of Commons, to which I gave a somewhat grudging acquiescence
1 httle thought then that the day would come when I should regard bis
Premiership as of vital importance to the country in its most critical
hour

At intervals duemg the session, the Ro>al Assent was given to a
number of Bills which had passed through both Houses of Parliament
and I was frequently a witness of the ccrcmonv According to the
tradition of centuries, the first sign that something is going to happen is
the banging on the outer door of the House of Commons. This ts fol
lowed by three loud knocks, and the Serjeant at Arms announces ‘Black
Rod' This officer then marches up towards the table, and bowing first
to the Government and then to the Opposition invites the presence of
'jour honourable House' m the House of Peers to hear the Ro>al Assent
pven The Speaker and several ^Icmbc^s then proceed two and ivvo to
‘the other place', where a regular pantomime is earned through Seated
on chairs m front of the throne arc three of the peers clad m red cloaks
with ermine capes and three comcrctl hats The central of the three
peers (usually the Lord Chancellor) then instructs one of the clerks to
read the Commission appointing them and others to act on behalf of
His Majesty m passing the Bill into law As their individual names
arc called the peers doff their headgear After that another clerk reads
the titles of the Bills, and a third clerk pronounces in Norman Frcncli the
kings assent and bows low The words le rot le veuU arc used for or-
dinary Bills but in the case of money Bills additional words convey the
thanks of His Ma]est> to his good subjects because m olden da>s the
revenue was really the kings revenue for which he had asked The
ceremony ov cr, the Commons return to (heir owm House and the Speaker

Dunng the recess I went with several other M P s to Switzerland for
the conference of the Interparliamentary Union This interesting body
had been formed several >cars pnor to the 1914 war Membership was
open to any member of any free Parliament throughout the world Rc-
ocnll> Its annual conferences bad been rcviv cd, but, so far, Gemans had
not been readmitted Our sessions m 1924 were held in the Parliament
House in Berne, a semicircular chamber through whose spaaous windows
at the>back of the Speaker s chair could be seen the distant mountains
I do not remember the subject of our discussion, but it was exceedingly
interesting to roe to be brought in contact with men from other coun-
incs who wercoccupiang positiomrsmularto m> own. After its sittuiFs
m Berne, the conference migrated to Geneva, where we were «how7i over
the offices of the League of Nation* and of it* subs.diar} the International

^3^ FATE HAS BEEN KIND

Organi-iation By wa.y of a holiday, our Swiss, iiosts took us an
excursion up to within 2000 feet of the top of the Jungfrau by the newly
constructed Jungfrau railway Unfortunately the weather was bad and
we had very little view.

When the session of the House of Commons reopened in thd' autumn
we expected animate($ discussions on foreigi^ affairs and on controversial
aspects of home policy. Instead, an unexpected breeze blew up about a
communist called Campbell who had been arrested but not prosecuted
It was alleged that imprdper political influence had been imported into
the case by the Prime Minister, and a Select Committee to go into the
whole matter was demanded by the Conservatives This was refused by
Mr Ramsay MacDonald, and Sir Patnek Hastings, the Attorney-General,
proceeded to make a full statement of what had taken place His speech
appeared to me to make a great impression on the House, and it almost
looked as though the matter would be allowed to rest , but Sir John Simon,
who followed, decided otherwise In a very clever speech he reopened
the controversy and thereby settled the immediate fate of the Labour
Government This no doubt was in accordance with his intention, but
I do not suppose he foresaw that an ulterior effect of this use of the
'unfettered independence of the Liberal Party would be to reduce its
numbers in the House m successive elections to exiguous proportions
The Labour rank and file went blithely through the division lobby to their
own defeat, for they had grown tirw of the humiliating experience of
'office without power’

The outstanding feature of the genera) election of 1924 in the country
as a whole was the Zinoviev letter This purported to be a document
written by a prominent member of the Communist Party in Russia, and,
if authentic, certainly did not make very pleasant reading for friends of
the Soviet Government m this country A copy of it was printed in one
of the Conservative newspapers on the eve of the poll, and another copy
had apparently been sent to the Foreign Office some days previously.
But no proof was ever submitted that there was a genuine ongmai, and
the fact that it dotted the 'I’s and crossed the 't's of all the arguments
which the Conservatives had been using against the ratification of Hie
Russian treaty has always made me regard it with grave suspicion
Its effect as an election stunt was greatly heightened by the fact that
MacDonald himself apparently took it seriously, and had drafted a dis-
patch to the Soviet Government about it What he intended to do wtii
the draft is not quite clear, but it was pubhshed by the Foreign Office
Itself shortly after the appearance in the press of the alleged Zinoviev
letter This double publication was a bombshell for Labour candidates
everywhere Many were defeated, and only 151 secured re election fo
the House of Commons At the same time the laberal Party was reduced
from 158 to 44, wiule the Conservatives secured no fewer than 415 scats
Thus tliey held a majority of 200 over all other Parties combined
* My owTi personal contest in Leicester was a very close one TIic
opponents of Labour combined forces by runmng onl> a Conservative
candidate in the East division of the aty. which had been held by my
Labour colleague, Alderman Banton, and only a Liberal m my scat, tue
da aion This was a formidable propteation for me. because at ttic
previous election, tliougiv I had beaten Winston CliurcluU by over jooo

FATF'hAS BEE1^ KIND

Accordingly I began to occupy a regular place on the second bench and
rose to speak on a great variety of occasions The difficulty now was to
catch the Speaker's eye’, and many a time I sat hour after hour bobbing
up at intervals and often not being called upon m the end I remember
one evening in particular I was told by the Labour Whip, when NeviUe
Chamberlam was spiking at about seven o'clock, that if I ro^e when he
sat down I should pfobably be able to 'get in’ J. tried to do so. but an
other of my colleagues was called m my stead At the end of his speecli
I tried again, without success Agam and again I rose, but it was not till
r 30 a m that my chance came By that time my tongue clave to the
roof of my mouth, and I could hardly utter a syllable'

I consulted my friends, who told me that this was a common ex
perience of junior Members, but that there was for it at least a partial
remedy The first thing was to realize that debates m the House of
Commons were of a great number of different kinds There were leaduig
debates, such as on the second reading of important Bills when the
time was hmited and only a few Members could possibly speak As to
these, the best thmg to do was to have a private word with the Speaker
in advance He would probably tell me whether there was any likeli
hood of his calling me, and if so at what time it would be well for me to
rise Then there were less important debates, such as the Committee
stages of Bills, when short speeches were usually made and my chaace
of getting in would be much greater Then there were the Fridays
when Private Members’ Bills were discussed, and if I was interested m
any of these I should find little difficulty m taking part Finally there
were subjects which appealed only to comparatively few Members,
and if I was prepared to specialize on one of them I could almost
certainly count u^n being able to speak whenever it came up m the
House

I took all this advice to heart, and added to it from my experience
that for each kmd of debate a different technique of speakmg was re-
quired There were ‘cocked hat’ speeches to be made on the big da>^,
objective remarks when the House was m Committee, non Party dis
cussions on Fridays, and detailed analysis when special subjects were
being discussed On these last occasions as has been aptly said, the
House likes to be ‘mformed’ but not to be ‘instructed’ Naturally I
decided to specialize on finance There were many other subjects, no^
ably foreign affairs, in which I was equally interested and which seemed
to me equally important, but finance came most easily to me owing to
my mathematical bent, and there were in that field fewer competitors
anxious to catch the Speaker’s eye

The choice of this subject brought me up against my old adversary,
Winston Churchill After another unsuccessful attempt to enter the
House in the spring of 1924 he had secured a safe seat for Epping at the
general election He had tiecn made the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Those who remembered his demands on the Treasury m previous ad
ministrations, when he had been at the headof oneorotherof thesiJcndmg
departments, said it was a case of poacher turned gamekeeper trotn
that tune onward I crossed swords with him on many occasions At hrst,
as an obscure back bcnchcr I was scarcely wnthm his orbit, but later,
as I came to take a more prominent part, he had constantly to deal with

IN OPPOSITION 141

my criticisms, and of course m the following Parliament, when I was
Fmancial Secretary to the Treasury, he and I were m frequent conflict

Winston Churchill’s Budgets were a masterpiece of camouflage He
loved to cover up his actual proposals wnth a canvas of unreahty, which
he painted m variegated hues and embellished with oratorical brilliance
After he had sat down, and the usual compliments had been paid, I used
to spend an amusing evening by myself, npping ofi this protective cover-
ing bit by bit until I came at last to the nak^ substance wluch he had
so successfully hidden But next day, after the morning papers had set
out in full his proposals, and the Front Bench had concentrated on all
the mam features, I found that when I came to speak there were only a
few minutiae left for me to deal with

The first time that I took an independent Ime of my own was on the
restoration of the gold standard* in May 1925 I was against it, but
Phihp Snowden was for it, and had committed himself to it m advance
m prmt This made my position rather difficult, but I earned the day
m a small expert committee set up by the Labour Party to consider the
question, and 1 got an amendment to the Bill put down, to the effect
that the step was precipitate and likely to aggravate unemployment and
trade depression Snowden did his best in moving it to support the
Party standpomt and then left the subsequent running to be made by
myself and other back benchers I made a speech which was far too
academic and balanced for the House, but I expressed the view that the
restoration of the gold standard would not be permanent, that its im-
mediate effect would be to injure the export trade and that it ought at
le^t to be mitigated by international action to steady the price level
Though we carried on the flght through the later stages of the Bill, it
was, of course, passed against our opposition, but a friend of mme who
voted with the Government told me that he heard Churchill say m the
division lobby “I am not so sure that that damned fellow Pethick-
Lawrence isn't right after all ’

The immediate sequel to the return to gold was a fallf in the British
price of coal In consequence the colliery owners, m order to reduce
their expenses, imposed heavy cuts in miners' wages, which the men
naturally resisted The Government, in the hope of ^csolv^ng the diffi
culty, appointed a Commission of enquiry under the chairmanship of
Sir Herbert Samuel (now Lord Samuel) But the colliery owners refined
to accept its proposals, and when Labour supported the miners, the
Government failed to prevent a head on collision which took the unpre-
cedented form of a general strike

This was certainly the most remarkable social phenomenon I haie
witnessed during my life and I am convmced that in no other country
than our own could it have been conducted in the way that it was Though
transport and other essential services were largely at a standstill, though

• Not, of course, of the gold curreacy Gold wins have never been in use in Bntam

X914

t This was due to the fact that coal being « arti^ of international commerce, had •.
recoenued value in terms of world currencies When^erefore the rate of exchan^of
Bntuh pound note was arbitanlv mcre^ed. number of dollars or krone or
. , — , the world market was the equi\alent of a smaller sum SaiTw *

^ 4 -^ FATZlIAbBBEKKIND

A. d.i&, war was ju fact raging, tempers remained unfrayed, Parliament
continued sitting without disorder, there was no violence or Joss of life,
and any injury to persons or property was insignificant In the House
of Commons we debated the situation continuously, and Sir John Simon
ranged himself unequivocally against Labour by the pronouncement
that the general strike was inherently illegal Winston ChurdiiJl, editing
the Government news sheet which took the place of the daily press,
suppressed a speech of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and was charged
wth bias in presentation of the neus He retorted with an epigram
“You cannot be impartial between the fire engine and the fire ”

At the week-end the labour Party sent its M P s out all over the
country m special brakes, which bore placards with the inscription, 'By
permission of the Trade Union Congress’ I was put off at Nottingham
and found myself in the novel rdle of a trade union leader explaining a
strike to his men Naturally I had taken advice from my T U col-
leagues before I set off and I got through my unsought task without
serious difficult} But a general strike is a weapon with a point at both
ends and the sharper one is that towards the workers themselves, who of
necessity have less reserves of staying-power This became more apparent
as days went by, and the leaders decided to bring the strike to an end
on some sort of terms before it collapsed izom within, and forced them
into unconditional surrender Unfortunately they id not carry the
miners with them, and the strike m the coalfields went on until itally
they, too, were beaten into submission

In those days Winston Churchill constantly aroused the ire of the
Labour Party A favourite device, which m his character of a iamin he
loved to employ, was to provoke us to interruptions which drew from him
a carefully prepared ‘impromptu retort whi^ turned the laugh against
us Time and again we tried to defeat these tactics by silence, but some
one of us was sure to be stung into the ejaculation on which Churchill had
counted as a foil to his wit To meet (his we planned and carried out
on one occasion a kind of stay in stnke While he was speaking we sat
on the benches, but ostentatiously paid no attention to what he was
sajmg Some of us bent our heads and wrote notes, others turned and
chatted with our neighbours He was visibly discomfited and his speech
was a failure, for a great 'orator can stand any treatment except to be
Ignored

The mancEUvre was never repeated, mainly I think because he took
the lesson to heart and remodelled his form of address In the House of
Commons hard hitting is aff ta^en m good part, banter and riefremV
not resented but constant irritation of one s opponents does not com
mand general approval Every now and again Churchill made a really
great speech Rising above mere Partyjousting, he dealt with the subject
matter m a broad way, whicli show^ a depth of understanding ana
genuine statecraft These speeches attracted me far more than his
others, and I think most of the House shared my view, for it was held
spellbound while he was speaking and for many days afterwards m
lobbies, and in the dining rooms and wherever members forgathered.

Ills speech would be the subject of discussion

The Budget of 1925 had an addendum m the shape of a sclieme lor
I oiitnbutorN pensions which inston Churchill expounded The bene*

IN OPPOSITION 14-5

ficiaries were manual workers of both sexes from 65* >ears of age, aged
wives of pensioners, widows, and orphan c^Idren Philip Snowden, from
hmts that he let drop, evidently regarded this scheme as his own offsprmg,
which had been gestated in the Treasury and the Ministry of Health from
the days of the Labour Government But the Labour Party did not
take kindly to the contributory prmciple, and though I welcomed the
relief to the widowed mother, about whom I had made my maiden speech
in the House the year before, I shared their dislike Looking back today,
after some seventeen years in which great benehts lia\ e been conferrecl
on the workers by this scheme and its subsequent modifiuations, 1 am
constrained to think that we were wrong in the mam in our opposition,
though the scheme had undoubtedly serious defects, some of which have
persisted Neville Chamberlain, as Minister of Health, piloted the Bill
through the House, and in domg so exhibited mastery of his subject and
a willmgness to make minor concessions, one or two of which were due
to my initiative

The annual conference of the Interparliamentary Union was held
this year (1025) in America I deaded to go, and was delighted when I
found that Emmelme would be able to come with me Before starting I
'paired' for the whole of the autumn with Sir Gerald Strickland (later Lord
Strickland), who sat in the British House of Commons as a Conservative,
but was also Prime Minister of Malta, where he held office with the
support of the local Labour Party The journey out was mteiestmg, as
the ship was crowded with parhamentanans from all over Europe, with
many of whom we were able to make contact Incidentally , I was taught
to dance the tango, and I remember that later, at Detroit, while we were
all waiting for a train, the wife of Sir Robert Bird, M P , and I gave an
exhibition along the full length of the station platform'

All was hustle when we got to New York as our ship had been delayed
by bad weather, and we had to make up for lost time Emmelme was
drafted off to stay with friends, but I, as a member of the Council of
the I P U , was billeted at the Pennsylvania Hotel The English speak-
ing Union gave a banquet that evemng to the British delegates and I
had to respond for the Labour group I racked my brains for the 'bright'
remark which an after dinner speech demands, 1 sought advice from my
wife in vam Just as I was getting up, I bethought me that Prohibition
was the burning topic in U S A at the moment, and that we had only
that mornmg stepped ashore, so I commenced my speech by pointing
out that this was ‘our first meal on dry land' It went home, and after
that the rest was easy ^Vhen I reached ray hotel that night and got up
to my room on the thirteenth floor I found the housekeeper sitting out-
ride awaiting me a ‘I could not allow you to go in,” she said, ’without
letting you ^ow that I was one of your suflragetleS,” and she proceeded
to tell me of her militant activity in England, of her decision to come to
America and of her life since her arrival

The conference proper was held at Waslungton m the House of Repre
sentatives, which I had already seen as a visitor on a previous occasion
Taking part, in a discussion there was totally unlike a correspondinir
experience in the Bntish House of Commons, for instead of speaking from

* Non contributory pensions for persons over 70 ha 1 t<‘eu enacted m igo3

144 fatlhasbelnkivd ,

one s place one had to inarch solemnly to tne rostrum and face tue great
apembly The subject I chose to speak on was that of the nationality
of roamed women, on which Aniencan law was already more progressive
than that in the British Empire and in Europe I urged that in mixed
marriages women ought to have the right to retain their own nationality,
and moved a resolutipn to refer the matter to the Juridical Committee
This was adopted wthout dissent In the Herald Tribune of New York
next day half a column was devoted to my speech under the title ‘Af P
pleads for Cupid’

After sitting for a week in Washington the conference adjourned to
hold its final session in Ottawa We travelled thither by way of New
York Niagara Falls and Hamilton At Hamilton we were met by a
fleet of private motor cars, whose o\^ner-dnve^s took us by tsvos and
threes for a delightful tour through and around the city As we saw its
well laid out streets and handsome stone buildings, it was difficult to
realize that, less than a hundred years before, its site was still open
country At the banquet in the evening, when the toast ivas propel
by our Canadian hosts of the health of the 41 nations who were present,

I had to respond ‘on behalf of the world'

The Parliament buildings at Ottawa present a striking spectacle,
standing as they do m spacious grounds of their own I found that tbcir
House of Commons had been designed on the model of our British House
but was larger, in spite of the fact that it had to accommodate far fewer
Members everyone had a seat of his own with a Jock up desk in front
of him While we were there we were all accorded the Members' privi*
lege of ‘franlang’ letters, a custom which used to exist m this country
but was discontinued owing to abuse The conference debate was con*
cemed ^vlth the important question of racial mmonties in the new nations
of Europe

Next day most of the conference members started for home, but
Emmeline and I deaded to cross the American continent to visit her
brother Harold and Ins wfc who were then settled near Los Afigcles
On our return journey we stopped m New Mexico to visit the Pueblo
Indians of jemez and witness a ceremonial dance It was an impressive
signt The men raised their feet high and struck the ground with each
foot to call the attention of the underworld Tlie women, because they
are said to draw their strength from the earth, never hfted up their feet,
but in their hands waved branches of evergreen jumper as a symbol of
life everlasting Both sexes had raven locJa and strong classic features
Several clans took part, and the men of one of them had their bodies
painted turquoise blue to represent the sky Wc were told that the
dance was partly a harvest thanksgiving and partJj^^^ invocation for
rain If so, it soon produced the required effect, for two da>-s later when
I was Visiting the famous cave dwellings of T>TionjT I was caught m a
prolonged snowstorm the first moisture (or many months

Tlierc were two further conferences of the I P U during tJut period
of my Parliamentary life In 1927 wc met in (he Senate m Pans /
mv'sclf spoke on the question of tanfls and. as the one Bntisli member of
tJie Ewnomic sab-comnuttcc, liad to explain not only m> own point of
view but that of the British delegation as a whole Tlic feature of the
conference, however, was the straight talking that went on bctwctn the

I'< OPPOSITION 1^5

Germans and tlic Lrcnch Herr Locbe, the socialist chainnan of the
Reichstag, appealed for more fncndly treatment of Germany and the
withdrawal of the army of occupafion M Juvcncl. m reply, said that
Europe could not be divided into a peaceful West and a threatened
East, and that unless Germany was prepared to extend the Lowrno
agreement to cover both its frontiers the only security for peace was
the allied occupation of the Rhineland I thought it all to the good
that the disagreement should be expressed ojicnly on the floor of the
conference

In 1928 we went to Berlin The German capital was humming with
activity during the week, and on Sunday there was a great exodus of
youth to the lakes and other centres of sport life The I F U conference
met in the Reichstag and rvas attended, for the first time, I think, by
representatives of fascist Italy but they took little part in the proceed-
ings There were some sharp passages between the Roumanian and
Hungarian representatives, but no echo of the Franco-German intcr-
clianges of the year before I made a speech on the international aspect
of Labour conditions, urging the I PU to appoint a sub committee to
hammer out constniclive proposals as a counterpart to the more official
proceedings of the Labour Office of the League of Nations Four years
previously my wfe had also spoken in the Keichstag at a peace demon-
stration Neither of us could have imagined that a few years later this
handsome Chamber would be set on Arc by German hands in mysterious
circumstances *

During all this period. Sir Austen Chamberlain was at the Foreign
Office Sitting on the Treasury bench in the House of Commons with a
monocle in his eye and a glossy top hat on his head he looked austere and
formidable, and it was a long time before I found out that this was a
fagade designed to hide a lundly and simple-minded personality Foreign
Office debates were a very solemn affair in those days, for though he
rarely told us anything we did not know before, he wrapped it all up with
a great deal of verbiage and if anyone ventured to interrupt or to
put a question there were immediate cnes of 'Sh-sh' on all sides “It
seems like being in church,' whispered Ellen Wilkinson to me from
behmd

Sir Austen spoke Froich fluently and as he once told us lov cd France
as a man loves a woman' In consequence, he was inclined to take the
French, attitude in preference to the Bntish with regard to the treatment
of Germany The matter came to a head m the spring of 1926 Ger-
many had been admitted to the League of Nations and now claimed a
seat on the Council The French Govemmeat favoured refusal and Sir
Austen fell into line with them, but m Britain the view was widely held
that the wisest course was at this stage to bring Germany right mto the
centre of wxirld comity I do not think there was a smgle dissentient
voice m the Bntish ftess or in the House of Commons branch of the
League of Nations Union and as a vice-Pfcsidcnt of that body I v,2s
deputed to go with my fellow officers to represent this to Mr Baldwin
the Pnme Minister la the debate which followed in the House of Com-
mons, I pointed out that the traditional freedom and support given to a
Foreign Secretary rested on the assumption that he wou'd act m accord-
ance svith Bntish public opmion, and that for lum to flout it was a

^4^ FATE HAS BEEN KIND

breach of constitutional usage My protest was taken up and supported
m the Press Sir Austen, however, insisted on taking his own line and in
the League cast the British vote against the German claim

During the first week of June 1926 there was held m Pans an mter-
national congress of women on behalf of woman suffrage, and I accepted
the President's invitation to come to speak at a demonstration m the
3 orbonne I travelled from England by air so as to save parliamentary
time and thoroughly enjoyed the novel experience The hall m Paris
was packed, and the audience appeared to take m nearly all my pomts
though I spoke mainly in English Next day the French women took
me with them on a deputation to M Briand, who was then Prime Afinister
Unlike his British counterpart m the suftragette days, he received them
most cordially, and though he decimed their request that he should come
out on a public platform m support of their cause he said that they could
have anyone of his Cabinet in his stead, ‘anyone that they chose'

Shortly after that Emmelme and I began to make preparations for
our silver wedding, which was due on October 2 We had four functions
in all — a dinner and dance for our private friends, a supper m Mansfield
House, Canning Town, which had bwn the scene of our original wedding,
a reception to ray constituents in the de Montfort Hall, Leicester, and a
public dinner in London, which was given to us by the Women’s Freedom
League At this last. Dame Afiilicent Fawcett proposed the toast of our
health, Captain Wedgwood Benn, M P , seconded it, Margaret Nevinson,
Pett ^dge, and Evelyn ^harp supported it Bernard Shaw, who was
unable to come wrote from Italy that he could only condole with his
fnends on their having failed to conceal their silver wedding as success*
fully as h^ concealed his’

We decided to have a silver honeymoon m India and to combine
both pleasure and politics m our visit We already counted among our
fnends many of the leading personalities of the country and further oppor-
tumties of intercourse were opened to us by Sir Howard d EgviUe, the
able and progressive secretary of the Empire Parliamentary Association,
of which I was a member As a result we bad a most enjoyable and
informative time I introduced Emmelme to the Taj at Agra and she
shared my ecstasy at its unrivalled beauty We went together to Dar-
jeelmg and watched m the early dawn the sun light up the massive
heights of the Himalayas We drove from Peshawar to Landikotal,
meeting on the way four continuous miles of loaded camels and looked
over into Afghanistan and its distant mountains beyond Kabul We
saw olffand'new JJelKi, tlie exquisiife ihke aif ijhhipur lappmg ille wailk
of Its white palaces, and the priceless carpets and gems of Jaipur

I found much that reminded me of my former visit 30 years before,
but much also that had changed dunng the interval The coming of the
motor car had made a radical difference in the effective proximity of the
country to the town, and the growth of industrialism had created an
urban proletariat and the appalling slums in which it was housed Though
the poverty of the masses seemed nearly as hopeless as ever, the British
Raj had opened up vast new areas by imgatioa works, and had succeeded
m stamping out the periodic famines wh-ch had been brought so forcibly
to my attention m 1897 But the change in the political outlook of the
peoples of India was perhaps the most remarkable In place of humbly

IN OPPOSITION 147

acquiescing in a subordinate position, c%cn in purely local affairs. Con-
gress was claiming control of provincial and national government The
Montagu-Chelmsford reforms had created the system known as the
‘diarchy’, and sections of the educated classes, particularly m Bengal,
were in revolt against the limited amount of power that this had con-
ferred upon them It was naturally to these political issues that most of
my conversations were directed

In Madras we stayed with my old college friend Campbell, who was
then occupying a promment place m the government of the province
I learnt from him and from leading Indians to whom he introduced me
that the diarchic system there had worked fairly well so far. and that
there would be general acceptance of a further advance to genuine self
government The Congress Party asked that a 'round-table conference’
should be set up with British and Indian representatives sitting together
to work out a constitution for the whole country We went into the
Indian State of Mysore and stayed as guests of the ruling Prince In
the course of an interesting drive Sir Mirzah Ishmail, his far sighted
Pnme Minister, expounded to me the attitude of the Indian States and of
Mysore m particular

In Bengal we foimd much more troubled waters Large numbers
of politically minded young Indians were being detained m prison on
suspiaon of subversive activities 1 discussed this with Lord Lytton.
the Governor, who was already well known to me from the days vvhen his
sister, Lady Constance, had been a leadmg suffragette He explained to
me the reasons why very regretfully he had adopted this course. I found
that the matter roused deep feelings among many In±ans outside the
immediate political arena Sir Jagadis Bose, the scientist, after showing
us most interesting experiments on plant life in his laboratory told us how
passiqnately he felt with regard to U and on the whole question of Indian
self government

We went to stay with Rabindranath Tagore the poet, at Santiniketan
Seated at dinner, my wife spoke of her delight in the Taj at Agra \Vhcrc-
upon our host told us of a poem he had written about it in Bengalee, and
pressed by my wife he kindly consented to translate a few sentences from
It for our special benefit ' I address my words. ’ he said, ‘ to Shah
Jehan” (the emperor who had it built in memory of his favourite wife)

'I say to him 'You knew that human gnef however deep and passionate
was yet mortal, therefore you conceived the idea of imprinting m marble a
teardrop on the cheek of eternity ’ " We talked of religion and were showm
his famous library of Thibetan books But he, too, spoke to us long and
earnestly about the political aspirations of India and about the Bengalee
deUtiUs, many of whom, he said, had been his pupils and were still his
personal friends

We travelled specially to Gauhati m Assam for tlie Indian National
Congress and w ere allow^ to be present ev en at the private session of the
important ‘Subjects Committee where the mam business was discussed
m advance and the time-table mapped out The Congress itself was an
immense and impressive affair In addition to Hmdua there were the
brothers All and several other Muslems Though Jinnah did not come
I do not think he w as as much opposed then as he became later (I saw
him once during my visit and he talked to me mainly about the Indian

148 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

Array ) Every part of the country was represented, and most of the
speeches were made m English, the one common medium — a proof, if one
were needed, of the unification which British rule had effected Gandhi
largely dominated the conference Years before, shortly after he left
South Africa, he had been our guest to lunch m our London flat, and now
he found time for a short talk with us during the hour of his frugal dinner
of raisins and milk We discussed all sorts of questions with him from
Swara) to birth control and appreciated the veneration in which he was
held all over the country

On my return to Calcutta I went to sec the Viceroy, Lord Invm (now
Lord Hahfax) We had a long and intimate talk I placed before him
what I had gathered of pubbe feeling about the questions of self govern-
ment and of the continued detention of unconvicted prisoners He
listened sympathetically and I gathered the impression, which his public
acts subsequently connrmed, that on both these matters he was akeady
prepared to go a long way in the direction I was advocating As I was
leaving he impressed upon me that I should 'give his love to the boys in
the House of Commons'

I made many contacts with Trade Unions m India and with their
leaders, very few of whom are themselves of working-class origin The
most remarluble case was that of a woman. Miss Sarabhai who had started
a Union m a town where her brother was the Jeading manufacturer As
its secretary, she had most strenuously fought her brother for better con
^tions for his workpeople He had given in, m the end, and was now
quite Moud of the improvement m his factory We attended a sort of
gymkhana of the workpeople which she had organized and at which be
presented the pnzes

On my return to England I vrote down and circulated among my
friends and a selected bst of M P s, not all of my own Party a short
statement of my impressions and suggestions I rejected equally the
proposals that full Self government should be (i) conferred immediately
or (2) doled out m instalments at the pleasure of the British House of
Commons I recommended an immediate declaration of principle, to be
supplemented by a round-table conference of British and Indians to thresh
out ways and means of fulfilment I asked for the release of untned
pnsoners, for labour reforms, and for a much more serious attempt to deal
with great social evils

I took an increasingly active part in the work of the remaining years
of the Parbament In February 1928 the Labour Party sent me to South
Wales with two colleagues to investigate the distress in the coalfields
there, and the report I wrote on my return formed the subject of a debate
in the House In April of the same year the Bill to which I have already
made reference, giving the franchise to women on equal terms with men,

was carried through all its stages . „ ^

In May, the Government introduced a BiU to restore the control of the
issue of paper currency to the Bank of England and to hmit its normal
amount to /260 millions m excess of the gold cover I regarded this as a
most dangerous and reactionary measure and fought it relentlessly m all
its stages I objected to Parliament handing back its essential sovereign
prerogative of the control of money to the Governor of the Bank with his
toown predilection m favour of deflation I objected in principle to

IN OPPOSITION 149

fixing the amount of the fiduciary issue, and to the figure of £260 millions
at which It was proposed to peg it I pointed out that the effect of this
would be to limit industrial expansion within the strait jacket of a maxi-
mum purchasing power, which might even be reduced if foreign Govern-
ments withdrew any of their gold balance at the Bank of England
It so happened that Sir Lining Worthmgton-Evans, who had charge
of the Bill in the House of Commons, had been a few years previously the
British representative at an international conference on money, held in
Genoa, and I was able to contrast the proposals of the Bill with the reso-
lutions he had moved and the speeches he had made on that occasion
As to the leading industrialists in the House of Commons, who were
commonly known among Members as 'the forty thieves’, I twitted them
with their lack of foresight in supporting the measure and warned them
that if they contmued to do so they would earn the sobriquet of 'the forty
fools’ On the third reading of the Bill I drew from Sir Laming some
explanation of the circumstances m which the limit of £260 miUions might
be increased, but, as I pomted out, this still did not provide any margm
for the normal growth of trade Subsequent events confirmed my worst
forebodings, and it was several years before, by the creationtof the Exchange
Equalization Account, the Executive recovered the power over money
ivhich It abrogated m thus Bill in 1928

As a keen lawn-tenms player I took jiart every year m the House of
Commons tennis tournament and in the occasion^ matches which we
played against v^ious outside teams One of the most amusing of these
contests was against six women Wimbledon champions m which we were
defeated by five matches to four On another occasion Mrs Wmston
Churchill sent me word that she would like to avenge her husband's

defeat at my hands in West Leicester, and that she and Sir Samuel
Hoare were prepared to play against myself and any woman player
among my acquaintance I secured Lady Floud and the match took
place on Sir Richard Crosfield's court at Highgate 1 am sorry to say
that my partner and I just failed to hold our own Apart from these
House of Commons contests, I managed to get m a regular weekly game
throughout the year with some friends on one of the courts in Lincoln's
Inn Fields As we played during the luncheon hour we generally had a
considerable 'gallery' to watch our efforts

Durmg those years I thought that Ramsay MacDonald led the Oppo-
sition on the whole wisely and well, but there were occasions when I
should have liked to criticize his pohcy and have a frank discussion of it
in the Party meeting I think a large number of others shared my
views, but we were prevented from giving expression to them by the
* violent attacks that were contmuaily made upon him there by a small left-
wing element, who had never forgiven him for his maladroit handhng of
the Zinoviev letter at the time of the general election. When it came to a
show of hands at the end of an hour of unfair baitmg of our leader, there
seemed nothing for us to do but to vote down the extremists’ motion of
censure Sometimes in the lobby he would ask for my advice on personal
matters and express to me his difficulties with other members of the Party
Once, on my initiative, we had a frank and intimate talk on tfaephilosoDhv
of life and I gave him my favourite book. Light on the Path, and asked him
to read it

150 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

In the declining da)s of the Parliament the Labour Paity appointed
a small committee of Members to examme questions of public finance and
t^o draft our policy regarding them for the coming election Phihp
Snowden, as former Chancellor of the Exchequer, presided I remember
one evenmg when he had been persistently refusing to understand a point
I was trymg to make, that I lost my temper with him and ejaculated at
last ‘Well, if you can’t understand that, you can't understand any-
thing ” As I walked home that night I bitterly reproached myself for
my impatience ‘You have been a fool," I said to myself, "if you want
to be included in the next Labour Government you have gone the worst
way to get there ’’

But the sequel was otherwise Next day, when I was sitting in the
Chamber just behind Snowden, he turned round to me and said that he
quite understood the point m question, but that sometimes it was a good
plan not to appear to do so A few days later he stopped me in the lobby
and told me that if a Labour Government came into being after the
election and he went back to his old place at the Treasury, there was no
one that he would rather have to help him as Financial Secretary than
myself Tins incident goes, I think, a long way to explain Snowdens
attitude to his colleagues m the Labour Party in the crisis a few years
later As a Yorkshireman he liked a spade to be called a spade In
political life It was right to hit hard It was as stupid to tone down a
speech from personal considerations as it was m a tennis match to serve a
soft ball because the player on the other side of the net was a lady'
When the match was over it would be time enough to resume personal
relationships That, at any rate, was Snowden's idea of how the game of
politics should be played

CHAPTER XV

IN OFFICE

At the Treasuiy — Holidays with pay — Difficult decisions — Municipal banks —
Opposition from behind — A non party dinner — Finance Bill debates — Cnti
cism of Churchill — How Parliament works — Unemployment — ^The May Com
mittee — Lloyd George attacks Simon — Ask Papa — Montagu Noman —
Treasury and Bank — Taxation of land — Staflord Cnpps — The summer recess

Y ’W1& -hewdiW-L at. tjjft. pjiaunij, ^neral

election the Government suffered defeat Labour became the largest
Party with 287 seats, the Conservatives securing 260 and the Liberals 59 *
nine Independents made up the total of 615 I hadno difficulty in retaining
West Leicester, where my energetic supporters not only put me at the
head of the poll but procured for me a maiority o\ er my two opponents
combined of no fewer than 4327 votes * You have now got a safe seat for
life," whispered a friend to me when the figures were announced Subse
quent events were to give the he to his words, and to confirm the adage
about the unwisdom of prophecy But at the time his remark seemed to
have ample justification , ,, r.

Mr Baldwin immediately resigned and the King sent for Mr Kamsav

IN OFFICE , I5I

MacDonald to form a Government Impatient as I was to know my
ovN-n fate, it seemed to me ages before the places m the Cabinet were all
mled and the time came to choose the 'second eleven’ of junior Ministers
At last, on a Sunday afternoon when I was in the country, Snowden
mng me up and told me that MacDonald had agreed to my becoming
financial Secretary to the Treasury, and that I could take up my
duties the next day I remember that his call caught me in the
imddle of doing household 'chores’, and that in my excitement over
his news I repeated the famous mistake of King Alfred Next morning,
before it was time to go to the Treasury, the Prime Minister himself
^t for me, and tendered me the position which I told him I was
honoured to accept

My room in the Treasury was a spacious one, overlooking the parade
ground in St James's Park It was flanked by the rooms of Sir Warren
Fisher and Sir Russell Scott, the two highest Treasury officials, and beyond
the former was the famous Board Room where the Cabinets used to be
held in the days when kings presided in person The great chair which
Kmg William III used to occupy was still in being Beyond the Board
Room was the passage leading to No 10 Downing Street, the residence of

Prime Minister, and to No 11, where Philip Snowden was ensconced
He sent for me at once, and set me two tasks, neither of them very easy
The first was to investigate leakages in the collection of direct taxes and
devise means of stopping them up, the second was to construct an effective
and equitable scheme for the taxation of land values A few days later
roy wife and I gave a dinner party for all the newly appointed junior
Ministers, and the Prime Minister came and presided

The office of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is an ancient one,
far older than several presided over t^ay by Cabinet Ministers, such as
the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Health Though subject in every-
thing to the ovcr-nding decision of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he is
technically responsible for all the avil estimates, which are in fact pre
sented to the House of Commons in his name He is charged with the
control of the conditions of employment of the whole of the Civil Service
He has itnder him, in addition to the Treasury, the Board of Inland
Revenue, the Board of Customs and Excise, the British Museum, the
National Gallery, the Mint, and several other national institutions He
IS, I believe, the only junior Minister to be given copies of all the confi-
dential documents which come before the Cabinet, so that he is in close
touch with all that is going on, though, as I found rather tantalizing, he is
not informed of the results of their deliberations

I remember the first decision I had to take as a Minister It con-
ceined a matter of some £37 000 which was asked for by one of the
'Iimstrids to purchase the freehold of a building which, it was expected
would be required m the course of the next year or two m a certain pro*
vincial city The Treasury view was that it was premature and ought
not to be sanctioned . to which the officials of the Ministry had replied
that the building was m the market, and that if the opportunity was not
seized then, it might not be possible to get a suitable place later on I
rather 'jibbed' at having to decide on what seemed to me inadequate dat ^
and was inclined to procrastinate or to consult the ClianceJlor of tif’
Exchequer, but my officials kept me stcmlj to the task of making up m

^52 FAIL HAS BEEN KIND

mind, and in the end I took responsibility for their recommendation to

refuse sanction for the expenditure

A few days later, a really important point arose While I had been m
Opposition I had advocated that all Government employees should be
given at least one week's holiday with pay I had a discussion with Sir I
Russell Scott on this matter, and was delighted to find that, in his view, i
the time had come when this step forward could legitimately be taken I
It would be m accordance with the Treasury tradition that the pay and
conditions of work for the Government should be in hne with those pre-
vailing in good private employ It would further provide an opportunity
of equalizmg simultaneously the number of bank holidays, which were
already accorded in different Government establishments Snowden was
avvay at the time at the Hague, fighting for the full British quota of
German reparations, but there was no reason to doubt his agreement
with the reform Accordingly 1 took the decision myself, and after some
discussion with my colleagues at the War Office. Admiralty, and Air
Ministry, it was announced and came mto force It affected certam post-
office employees, men working in the arsenals and dockyards, tradesmen
m the Air Force and a number of others — altogether, I think, about a
hundred thousand persons Nothing that I was able to do while I was
Financial Secretary gave me as much satisfaction as this action, which
was m hne with all that my wife and I had striven for m much narrmver
fields

Durmg my term of office, many other questions of greater and lesser
importance came before me On some of them I had already formed fairly
clear ideas as to how they ought to be tackled in principle But I found
that this was not usually the issue I was called u]»n to decide I had to
make up my mind as to what should be done that very day about aparltcukr
matter, talung into account all the existing circumstances Frequ^tly
there was a conflict betiveen tlic ideal long-term pohey and the immediate
practical needs of the case in question Neither could properly be ignored,
and I realized that it was inside my own person — as indeed that of any
Minister called on to take decisions — that the tug of war between the two
sets of considerations muit ultimately take place

An actual case in point will help to make my meaning clear I had
for a long time past observed that the development of British industry
was frequently crippled by the action of the Bank of England, which
deliberately made money dear and scarce m order to defend the gold
standard, and keep the £ at a steady rate of exchange with foreign
currencies At other times the Central Banks of foreign countries were
under similar constraint I had come to the conclusion therefore that
international action was reqmred to keep the various countries in step
with one another Such anopportumtyseemed to present itself when the
Bank of International Settlements was being created, and Sir Walter
Layton, the British delegate, came to see me about it The questions
were how wide should be the scope of the Bank and who should control it
I then became acutely aware of the immediate risk of giving this Ba^
too much power It was bad enough that, under the existing system, the
British Government had no direct control over decisions of the Bank of
England, which had fai-reaching effects on British industry But it
would be still uorse if a supra-national financial authonty were set up on

IN OF 1- I C t

I5J

wS only nunor.lj rciircscnlation. ajid

which the British Government could only inllucncc at second remot c I
urged therefore that the functions of the Bank should be stricllv hmilcd •
ana this policy was m fact adopted ^

mile I had been m Opposition I had been a keen advocate of miini-
ciptd banks Birmingham had secured the right, no doubt with the help
01 the Lhambcrlam influence, to liave such a bank, and had m ide of it a
striking suKcss But, curiously, no other city in the United Kingdom
had been aUowed by the Treasury the same privilege When therefore
aunng the Labour Government, several municipalities renewed their
applications for permission. I supported them and carried my point TIic
necessary enabling legislation was accordingly introduced To thu
thCTc was considerable opposition from the Tory benches, but during Uic
debate Neville Chamberlain beckoned to me to have a word with him
/behind the Speaker's chair He then asked me whether we intended to
imp^c any safeguards, and I told him that we proposed to embody some
of the mam principles which had found favour with the directors of the
Ijirrmngliam bank He said that after that assurance he would call off
Tory opposition I returned to my scat and m winding ui>
the debate announced the intentions of the Government I wis greeted
wth cricsof "Traitor" from one or twoLabour members sitting behind me
ivvas deeply chagrined at this reception, for (hough as a political leader I
had grown the necessary hard skin m front to rc>ist thrusts from my
political opponents, I had not then acquired an cnuil protective covcnni?
against attacks from belund ”

In another encounter, later, with members of roy own Part) I was
probably more to blame I was responsible for introducing and piloting
through the House one of the periodic Local Loans UiJIs by means of
'vhich the smaller Local Authorities arc enabled to borrow monc> at a
reasonably low rate of interest A committee of financial cxpcrtc had ir>
beset up to investigate these loans as drmanH<inrosc for tlicm and. at the
suggestion of my officials, I proposed to reappoint without alteration the
men who had sat on it m previous years Some of the Labour Party took
strong exception to one of the names, and demanded that new men with
more progressive sympathies should be appointed A storm blew up
during the debate and discussion of the Bill had to be adjourned After
Snowden had come to my rescue and explained the position to the Partv
m private, a compromise solution was ultimately effected ^

The outstanding financial event of the year is of course the annual
Budget , and members of all Parties looked forward with keen expectation
to the proposals which Snowden would announce in iqjo He certainly
did not disappoint them There were large changes in taxation, puitinf’
heavier direct burdens on the richer clashes, and compheated proposals
for stopping up the leaks caused by avoidance or evasion of the law
There was also an advance notice of his intention to institute the laxatin
of land values in the succeeding year Everyone realized that it wn<i ^
highly controversial Budget that would arouse deep animosjtv m cert **
sections and encounter fierce opposition in its passage throu^.h the

* E>eo as

- -h« direcUu. ™ __

to G«nnaa]r co&trary to the wish ol the House of CooaMos.

Intemauooaj SetlfcsseoU

s nf IN*. n™.« nf » ufs* saa

154 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

For many years previously, it been the custom of a very wealthy
Member of Parhament, Mr Samuel Samuel, to give a dinner party m the
House of Commons on the mght after the Chancellor had made his
Budget speech To this he was m the habit of mvitmg the Prime ilimster
of the day and any of his predecessors still m the House, the present and
past Chwcellors of the Exchequer and several other ministers, including
the Fmanaal Secretary to the Treasury His remammg guests were
leadi n g financial men in the City of London On the present occasion he
earned out the programme without alteration We all met, and had a
most mterestmg party Naturally we did not discuss the proposals con-
tained m the Budget , but we did d^uss other questions of financia l import
and we drank to the solitary toast of 'The Public Purse' I have often
thought how particularly British this fimction was, and how like the
Genwnl Strike) it would have been utterly unmtelligible to any foreigner
not steeped in our traditions He would probably haie concluded that
it was all part of Bntish hypocrisy Either our apparent friendliness at
dinner must be a veneer covering fierce personal enmity within, or ou^
subsequent confiict m the House must be a sham fight, or possibly both
He would, of course, ha\e been quite wrong

Next day on the fioor of the House the battle was mined in gnm
earnest, and contmued to rage with short intervals until the end of Jul>

So far as the Speaker would permit, e\cry clause in the Bill, e>cry line,
every word was debated Night after night we sat for many hours post
the usual ii o'clock tune for adjournment Once, the sitting lasted right
on till 12 30 m the afternoon of the following day, and I occupied my place
on the Treasury bench nearly the whole of that time The pnocipal
protagonist on our side was, of course, my immediate chief, the Chancellor
of the J^chequer On the other side, Winston Churchill. leading the
opposition to the Bill, exhausted every device known to Parliament to
hamper and delay its passage intolaw The House watched the encounter
between these forensic giants m the spirit of spectators at a pnze figiit,
and partisans cbeertxl every sally of their own man enthusiastically Tho
one rehef from the spate of words 'vas the periodic march through the
div«ion lobby, when members of the Liberal Party usually came to our
aid in defeatmg our Conscrvatise opponents.

But though the House, from one point of wew, enjojed the conihet
and admued the pnna^ combatants, from another it was somewhat
ashamed of the proceedings It felt that at the end there wus not much
to show for these long wearisome wusted hours Snowden, it was said,
was qmte justified m holding firm with an iron hand for the whole su^
stance of his Bill, but he might with advantage have clothed it m the
velvet glove of more conciliatory Parharoentary procedure Churchill, m
spite of, or because of, the adroitness of his political tactics, had only
increased the misplaon of many people m the country tlut the mmn
reason for the opposition of theConservaUve Party to the Budget was that
Its nch supporters did not relish hav-mg to bear a heavier burden of
taxation

IN OFFICE 155

addressed before, I rose with some trepidation to make the final reply I
began by paying a tribute to his wit which members had so greatly
enjoyed, and I went on

"But I am quite sure that, as usual, there is one man m this House
who has enjoyed it far more than anyone else, and that gentleman is
the right hon Gentleman the Member for Eppmg [Mr Churchill]

I sometimes wonder whether he would enjoy himself quite so much
if he did not mistake hilarity for admiration and mirth for respect '

I then pointed out that Churchill had just been claiming success for
lus tactics on the ground that they had hindered and prevented the Labour
Government from carrymg out much other business during the session I
commented on the fact that this had not been his declared object while the
stru^le was m progress

"At the time, he told us that his object m carrying on the debates
Was to prevent the Chancellor of the Exchequer from carrying out his
financial mtentions m their entirety In fact, we have m the Bill as
It comes before us today, in every essential particular, the proposals
which my right hon Friend put forward in his Budget, and the reason
why the right hon Gentleman the Member for Eppmg comes down to
the House and treats us to this wonderful persiflage, is that he knows
that he has been beaten on the Budget He told my right hon Friend
that he would compel turn to cut out Clauses of his Bill and to modify
others, and that the Opposition could force him to take that course
In fact, we have the Bill, and we have everything that my right hon
Friend proposed My right hon Friend has got the money that he
requires for the National Exchequer, and he has got it in the way that
he proposed He has erected the barriers against tax evasion which
he intended to erect '

proceeded to justify my assertion by an analysis of the Bill as it was
ivmg the House

Though my speech appealed primarily to members of the Labour
Party, and to the Liberals who had supported us, I am satisfied from what
I heard afterwards that a number of Conseri-atives secretly shared my
view The fact is that deliberate obstruction is not inherently congenial
to the British temperament and is alien to the spirit of the House of
Commons It was mvented by the Irish members, who practised it with
great relish at the time of the struggle for Home Rule Though this issue
had been decided before I entered the House, and most of the Irishmen had
ceased to come to Westminster, one of their number, Joe Devlin, still sat
for an Ulster constituency One day he was explaining to us the art of
obstruction “Sometimes," he said, "when I have been speakmg for a
long time I am stumped for a fresh idea on which to dilate To fill m the
interval, while I am collecting my thoughts, I stretch out my arm and
pointing to the other side of the House I say, Tt is all very well for members
opposite to laugh and jeer ’ On one occasion after usmg this chch6 I
looked across There was only one member on the benches opposite and
he was asleep*"

^56 fatehasbeenkind

One of the common mistakes made by outsiders with regard to the
House of Commons is to imagine that on every subject that comes up
there is acute controversy In fact, it is probably true to say that at
least two-thirds of the busmess of the House is transacted by common
consent When such matters are tmder discussion there may be some
differences of opinion, but they are confined to questions of detail and, as
often as not, cut right across Party lines The mterest then hes m the
• varied experiences which members of the House brmg to bear on the
subject Thus I have taken part in debates on prison reform when con-
tributions have been made by tlie Home Secretary and his predecessors
in office, by ex pnson-govemors, by ex warders, by prison visitors and by
ex pnsoiiers like myself Such drtates evoke no spirit of hostility and
often bear much good frmt

In some respects the House of Commons resembles a big family party,
and It IS no wonder that men who have worked together, eaten together,
played together, and spoken to and at one another, day in and day out for
years on end, should come to understand one another, and appreciate the
strong and weak points in one another's make-up The House loves to
listen to speeches m which these individual characteristics are recognized
and dwelt ufion That is one of the reasons why a new member who
naturally cannot at first appreciate these differences, and is inclined to
lump all members of a Party together, needs to serve a long political
apprenticeship before he can make the kind of speedi which the House
likes to hear

It would be quite wrong, however, to infer from all this that the wordy
battles m which Parliament engages are sham fights, or that they are like
the disputes m the Law Courts between counsel, who are voicing not
their oivn but their clients' opinions Vital issues do arise, generally on
Party lines, and then deep feeling is aroused On these occasions the
Government can rely on its majonty to enforce its will m the last resort
But its A^illes' heel is the element of time , and the Opposition can stnke
at this by insisting on having full opportunity to state its case The
House of Commons is jealous of the rights of minorities, and its rules of
procedure allow considerable latitude for such discussions, but «f they are
carried to tlie point of deliberate obstruction, the Government can call
into play various devices for terminating (he debate Of these the
simplest IS the closure, invented by Mr Gladstone to deal with Irish
mtransigeancy, but since his dav further refinements have been intrc^
duced known to members as the 'kangaroo' and the 'guillotine',* designed
still further to accelerate proceedings

None of these devices, however, is really satisfactory to either sule
The Government find tliat the passage of a complicated Bill is still very
heavy going, and the Opposition find that the time, which ought to have
been dev oted to oxposmg to the country the most highly contentious parts
of the measure, has been dissipated by prolongwl discussion of trivial
matters Accordingly, during the nine that I have sat m the House of
Commons I have v.itncs>cd a great change in the conduct of busmess m
my first three Parliaments, from 1923 to 1931, obstruction and its antidotes
were employed extensively by each side in turn But m the Parliament

IN OFFICE

157

elected in 1935, even before the Coalition Oovcrnmcnt was formed ^
romproinise was generally effected The Opposition got more time for
dwcussioiMhan they would have been allotted under ‘guillotine’ pro-
cedure They were able to concentrate on the most contentious points
and to stage the debate on them at the best time of day The Govern-
ment got ^ agreed time-table, and members, generally, knew when the
pnnapal divisions would be taken Of course there always remained m

the background the alternative of obstruction, closure, all night sittings

in a word pohtical war — but it was rarely resorted to
, period with which this chapter is concerned, however, that of

me Parliament of 1929-31, no such relief was available for the Labour
Government , and our difficulties were greatly increased by the fact that
we controlled only a minority of votes in the House It is true that in
general the Liberals supported ns, but that was by no means alwa>s the
case Once during the Budget discussions m 1930 we only scraped through
by a margin of two votes, and on several other occasions single figure
majonties were recorded In fact we never could be certain, when we
came down to the House in the afternoon, that we should survive defeat
until it rose at night

^ Moreover, we ran Yight into what Winston Churchill once called the
economic blizzard', the inevitable consequence of the restoration of the
gold standard, and of the deflationary policies of the Bank of Engliid and
the Federal Reserve Banks of the U S A , which had led to a continuous
fall in prices This m turn created world wide imcmployment, industrial
depression and financial embarrassments, and each one of these had
political repercussions It was only to be expected that we should have
to bear the blame for the rising number* of the unemployed, and that both
Liberals and Tories, as well as our own extreme left-wmg, would exploit
the Situation agamst us to the full We had no major remedy to propose,
but we kept in benefit the long-term unempIo>ed, who had dropped out
of insurance, and we promoted schem#** work of national importance
on a very considerable scale I remember that when I was expounding
this programme one day in the House I was told by Mr Llo>d George
that It was quite inadequate and that he would have us spend far larger
sums which should be met by borrowing

Another Liberal, however, saw the matter irom a different angle
This was Sir Donald Maclean, who had led the Party m the 1918-1022
Parliament He moved a motion calling attention to the growth of
indebtedness and its effect upon the public purse and demanding an
enquiry As this had the support of most of his Liberal colleagues and
of the whole of the Conservative Party, the Government felt that it could
not be resisted and a committee was set up with Sir George May as chair-
man The findings of this conumttee, as I shall subsequently narrate"
played an important part m the overthrow of the Labour Government
and the installation m its place of a Coalition, composed mostly of Con^
servatives, who threw over Free Trade and earned out other poha&s
which I feel sure that Sir Donald, as a genuine friend of Lab^
must have disapproved I often wonder whether, if he could have
seen the consequences of his own actum, he would hav e held his hanH
^The mdustri^^ depression had another disentegrating effect^ the

Liberal Party Various countnes, try mg to msulate thei^h .

from the

^58 FATE HA.S SEES KIND

general misfortune, raised their tariff walls British manufacturers, faced
with exclusion from world markets, began to clamour for the abandon
ment of the traditional Free Trade policy of this country This was in
Ime with Conservative views, but contrary to the hitherto accepted
doctrine of Liberals Some of them now began to show signs of wavering
on the question and among the most prominent of these was Sir John
Simon This drew from Mr Lloyd George a speech which was one of the
wittiest I have ever listened to His place in the House of Commons
was immediately in front of his colleague and 'the gangway’ separated
the two of them from the seats which were occupied by the Tories *'fr
Lloyd George began by comparmg Sir John to a lifelong teetotaller indulg-
ing in his first i'op of drmk ‘After a time,” he said — I quote fr6m
memory — "he b^ns to sway from side to side” — Mr Lloyd George
stretched out his arm and pointed alternately to each side of the gang
way — '‘/rofft sicfe /o he repeated, “until he finds his last resting place

m the inebriates’ home ” The accusing hand had now become stationary
and pomted unswervingly to the Conservative benches The House was
convulsed with laughter

For the most part I foimd my work at the Treasury congenial, and I
got on excellently with ray officials It was a great pleasure to be among
men who were so quick in the uptake and who came to the point at once
without any havering I established very happy relations with my
personal secretaries, first with Mr Myrddin Evans, a Welshman, who
initiated me into my duties most effiaently, and secondly, when he was
translated to a higher sphere, with Mr Alexander Glen, a Scotsman, who
worked most loyally with me until the termination of my offiaal position
I took part m the annual Treasury lawn-tenms tournament, and in this
way came in touch with some of the junior members of the staff

In general, I found myself m agreement with the Treasury point of
view, both in routme matters relating to the outside public, and m questions
where differences between various Ministers had to be resolved On
higher financial issues I was not equally satisfied I found a tendency m
the Treasury, which I suspect is common to other government offices, to
treat the junior Minister much as an indulgent governess treats the young
hopeful entrusted to her cliarge Within narrow limits he can have his
way, beyond that, it is a case of 'We had better ask Papa, dear ’ Oi
course every sensible Under-Secretary recognizes that in matters of high
policy his chief must make the decision, and that he must conform to it or
resign What I claimed was that where I bad special knowledge or held
strong views I should have at least an equal opportunity with the Treasur)-
officiMs of bemg heard before that decision was reached

Philip Snowden himself most willingly conceded this, in het, from
the outset he expressly invited me to come to sec him to discuss any
matter m which I Was interested, and he was always as good as his word
But what happened m practice was that the Treasury officials had prior
knowledge of questions that were coming up, and that they went to the
Chancellor and got his agreement before I had the chance of stating m>
case More often than not this arose quite naturally from the necessity
of making quick decisions in busy times on urgent matters But there
were occas ions when I was convmced that I had been by-passed of deliber-
ate purpose

IN OFFICE 159

The most flagrant example was a case when the Cabinet had appointed
a Treasury official and myself as joint members of a departmental
committee In between two of its sittings I was confronted wth a
document signed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer m which all the
issues affectmg the Treasury were settled As I knew that Snowden had
no independent knowledge of any of these detailed (questions, I realized
that my colleague, without any prior consultation with me, had simply
decided them all himself, had written down his views and had gone to the
Chancellor and got his endorsement I was naturally very angry at this,
and sent for one of the highest Treasury officials and secured his apology
and an undertaking that such a discourtesy would not be repeated

One day when I was m my office Sir Richard Hopkins brought in a
visitor to see me, Mr Montagu Norman, the Governor of the Bank of
England He told me that, though I should not remember it, this was
not our first meeting, for he had been a small boy at Eton when I was
Captam of the Oppidans I saw him on many occasions after that,
particularly when Snowden was away lU, and he gave me much valuable
information and advice It was easy to understand how with his wide
knowledge and experience and his engaging personality he had acquired
such a dommating influence Nevertheless, I did not become a convert to
his basic views on financial poUcy

It was a matter of surprise to me, while I was Financial Secretary,
that though there were able men at the Treasury who were quite com-
petent to form their own views and take an independent Ime on questions
of foreign exchange and the price of money, the Governor's opinion
appeared to be accepted almost without question I remember in par-
ticular one occasion when a most important financial issue arose m a
Cabinet committee of which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a Icadmg
Treasury expert and myself were all members We uere unanimous in
our view as to the right decision, but it was agreed that, before action was
taken on it the Governor should be asked to express an opinion I
imagined that after he had been heard there would be a further con-
sultation, but when I arrived at the committee next mommg I found that
the decision which we had all reached the day before had, m deference to
his view, been exactly reversed

Since my time at the Treasury the position has been entirely altered
\Vhen the Exchange Equalization Account was created in 2932 the House
of Commons insisted that it should be controlled, ndt by the Bank, but by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is, of course, ultimately responsible
to Paihament He had therefore to be prepared to answer questions m
the House relating to currency and foreign exchange This compelled
the Treasury to study the problem independently, and to formulate a
policy of Its own with regard to it In consequence, in recent jears the
views of the Governor have not always prevailed, and it is common
knowledge that the policy of cheap money has been pursued by successive
Chancellors of the Exchequer contrary to his predilections

In the spring of 1931. Snowden underwent a serious operation which
compelled his absence, for several weeks, from the House of Commons
This threw on me a considerable amount of extra work, includine the
formulation of the details of his scheme for the taxation of laud value<5 on
which I had the jmaluable assistance of Sir Stafford Cnpps who^d

tATTHASBEENKIND

become Sohcitor-General Of course *ili major issues were submitted to
Snowden himself I also deaded that it was of importance, m view of the
interest that was being shown by foreign countries m the state of the
British finances, to make a small technical change in the form in which the
annual accounts were presented m April I had the greatest dfficulty in
getting this through Though all the high Treasury officials whom I had
to consult admitted that the alteration would be a distinct improv ement,
they insisted that it was necessary to 'ask Papa’, who was m the country
in the earlier stages of his convalescence Fortunately someone was
gomg down to see him there, and his consent (never really in doubt) was
obtamed just m time for the change to be effected

There was some question whether Snowden would be well enougli to
deliver the usual Budget speech, and there was a suggestion that either I
or some Cabinet Minister should read it m his stead But he brushed all
those proposals aside, and insisted on /aang the ordeal himself Changes
that year in ordinary taxes were few and slight, and interest centred on
the proposals for the taxation of land values which Snowden explained in
some detail and with obvious satisfaction The Tones left us in no doubt
as to their intention to oppose this scheme by every means in their power
But Mr Lloyd George praised it, and urged Snowden not to make con
cessions. 1 remembered this advice afterwards when members of the
Liberal Party took up an uncompromising attitude in the opposite direc-
tion However, for the moment we had their support

When the time came for the proposab to be embodied m the Finance
Bill, I was instructed to interview some of the Conservative leaders to see
whether an arrangement could be made for an agreed time-table for the
discussion of the measure After consulting their Party they reported to
me that so strong was the oppo«ition that no such arrangement was
possible I then told them that my chief was not prepared to repeat the
gruellmg experience of the previous year and that, in default of agree-
ment, we should probably impose a forced time-table by guillotme I
was given to understand that, much as they would resent this unprece-
dented action with regard to a Finance Bill, they would prefer to submit
to it under duress than voluntarily to limit di^ussion After that, it
was clear that no settlement was possible, and Snowden, with the backmg
of Lloyd George, secured the rather reluctant consent of the Prime
Minister to the introduction of a guillotme motion, which was in due
course carried through the House

The outstanding feature of the debate on the Bill itself was the brilliant
advocacy o'l "bir 'btdhorii 'Lripps,-Wwo,"«c» 'suciasssiVb'druuseis -umifup
discussion, confounded the arguments of the Conservatives But their
hostility was not reduced, and 1 am convmced tliat from this time on the)
made up their minds that by hook or by crook they would destroy the
Labour Government All went well with us, however, so long as the
Liberals continued, when the division bell rang, to troop through the lobby
to support us But the time came when revolt broke out m their^ ranks
Prompted no doubt by the landowning interests, they tabled an amend-
ment drastically reducing the proposed taxation, and thev made it dc^
to us tliat if necessary they would carry it to a division i aced with the
prospect of defeat, the Cabinet (leaded not to resist the amendment, and
Snowden bowed to this decision, though it was common knowledge tlut

THE GOLD CRISIS iGl

he was opposed to it la its trurfc.ited form the Bil] was carried through
the House of Commons, and as the Lords were prohibited by the Parlia-
ment Act from making amendments, it became law WTthout further
alterations

OnFy a few weeks were now left before the summer recess, and it
seemed not only as if most of our immediate political troubles were over,
but that there was a prospect of a solution of certain wide outstanding
problems There was a light on the international horizon in the Dis-
armament Conference, over which Arthur Henderson, the Foreign Secre-
tary, had been chosen by Ins foreign colleagues to preside There was a
hope of an Indian settlement m the wide acceptance, by all sections, of
the invitation to attend the forthcoming second session of the Round
Table Conference The one intractable problem was the industrial
depression, vnth its consequent growth of unemployment and disturbance
to financial equilibrium here and elsewhere There might also be inter-
national repercussions of the failure m mid-Europe of the Credit Anstalt
Hut It did not occur to me that cither of these was likely to alter the
political situation in the early future When therefore the recess actually
came at the beginning of August, I went with my friend Hankmson on my
annual excursion m a rowing-boat down the Thames without misgiving

CHAPTER XVI

THE GOLD CRISIS

Three British cammittees— Failure of European banks — Run oa goId-~The May
report— A Budget defiat —Cabinet crisis— A meeting m Downme Street— Out
of offico— MacDonald s forecast— Cuts «n salanes — Ofl the gold standard —
General election — The doctors mandate— An decUoa red herring— Defeat
m Leicester

Three important committees presented their reports just about the time
that Parliament rose for its summer recess The first of these dealt with
the rates of pay m the Civil Service with which I as Financial Secretary
was directly concerned It recommended that the sliding scale, bj which
Wages rose and fell with the cost of living, should cease to operate, and
that the wages of the lowest grades of civil servants should be stabilized
substantially above the rate corresponding to the existing level of
prices

The second, known as the Macmillan Committee, appointed by
Snowden Soon after taking office, reported on the banking and financial
system of the country Among a great many important recommendations
It criticized the machinery of the City of London for lending money It
show ed that while some British firms operating in this country w ere having
difficulty in obtaining capital, large sums were continually flowing out to
foreign users WTiat was worse, there was no aulhonty, not even the
Bank of England, which knew accurately the total amount of the money
VO lent abroad This was all the more serious because the ultimate
basii of this money was the gold m the Bank of England, a great part of
which had been deposited thereby foreigners and could be withdrawn by

162 fatehasbefnkind

them whenever they chose to do so In banking language, the Dty of
London as a whole had borrowed ^ort and lent long, to an farming and
unknown extent

The third committee which had arisen out of Sir Donald Maclean’s
resolution m the House of Commons of a few months previously, and was
known by the name *1^® chaiwnan. Sir George May, reported on the
state of national expenditure It painted a lurid picture of imbalanced
Budgets The chief gravamen of its charge related to the moneys which
were being paid out week by week to Jhe steadily growing numbers of the
unemployed These moneys did not come directly out of the Exchequer,
but from the Unemployment Fund, which was fed by fixed payments
from employers, workers and the State Originally this Fund h^ been
designed to be self balancing But successive Governments had found it
impossible to cut men out of benefit when they remamed unemplojed
after their period of insurance had run out, and they had continued to
pay them out of the Fund To replemsh it they had borrowed whenever
It was necessary, and the Labour Government had continued this practice.
Latterly, these borrowings had grown in frequency and amount

The May report took exception to this, and treated all such out
goings as current expenditure, which m a sense they were But the report
went further than this in putting an unfavourable complexion on the
position of the Exchequer Snowden, in accordance with precedent, had
budgeted for a surplus of £50 millions to be used as a sinking fund for the
extinction of debt It had already become clear that (apart from any
question of the unemployment money) the whole of thiS;f5o millions would
not materiali?e The May Committee chose to designate the amount by
which the surplus would so fall short as a 'deficit' On these premises it
reached the conclusion that there would be a considerable deficit for the
current year, 1931-2, and a dehctlofno less than jfiao millions in J932-3»
Unless changes were made It accordingly recommended substantial
cuts in salaries and wages paid out of public funds, and m the social
services, mcludics unemployment relief

THE COLD CRISIS / 163

£iw millions of this was needed at home, so that only some £32 millions
of free gold was available, and the Bank feared that m a few further days
this might be gone

Accordingly it endeavoured to improve its position in two ways
First, it obtained permission of the Treasury to increase the fiduciary
issue by £15 millions, thereby reducmg the amount of gold needed as a
reserve against the home currency from £100 millions to £85 millions
Secondly it procured credits of £25 millions each, from the Bank of
France and from th^ Federal Reserve Bank of New York. These com-
bmed actions mcreased the effective strength of the Bank by £65 millions ,
but at the same time they advertised the senous position, and by so doing
reduced confidence in the stability of the Bank

It will be observed that all this happened before the end of July 1931
^d that up to that time the cnsis was a purely bankmg a^r Responsi-
buity for it must be shared between those who had originally created the
Reparations tangle, those who had passed the melastic currency laws of
1925 and 1928, and the Bank of England and the City of London, which
had got themselves mto the immediate difficulty by over-lending abroad
It Was not Until the beginning of August that the Labour Government
became involved, and then only because the Bank found that its desperate
efforts were proving unavailing and that it wanted to obtam further
credits from France and USA

It was at this juncture that the May report was published Scare
headlmes in the Press at home and abroad epitomued its findings as ‘a
d^at of £120 millions m the British Budget’ As I have already explained,
this was a misrepresentation of the facts In the last complete year,
^930“3i. debt had actually been paid off m the current year, 1931-2,
debt stood to be increased only by a few rmlJions, even if payments for
^employment were all includ^ as expenditure It was not till 1932-3
that, as against a desired reduction of debt by £50 milhons, an mcrease of
some £70 imllions was anticipated, and then only if no changes on either
side of the account were effected in the meantime

But the scare headlines had done theu’ work, and the Prime Almibler
Was confronted with an ultimatum which he reported to the Cabmet It
appeared that the French and American Banks were not prepared to lend
^y more money to the Bank of England so long as the British Budget
remained unbalanced’ The fact that France had had substantial
deficits, for years past, and that the USA had had a realized deficit of
£180 millions in the previous year, and had a prospective deficit of no less
fhan £300 millions for the current year, counted for nothing Borrowers
m^t conform to such conditiors as creditors impose It was even
whispered, though I believe without any foundation, that the foreign
oai^ had insist^ on a reduction in British unemployment relief If the
Cabinet were not able or willing to accede to the wishes of the bankmc
World, the Bank of England, they were told, would be unable to meet iti
liabilities and Britam would have to go off the gold standard
of ^ holiday had gone before I got wind

^the trouble, and I rudied up at once to London and to the TreasmT?
There I was told as much as it was thought proper tor a tumor Mmistc^
taow The Cabmet was facing the ^ternatlVe of ^

standard with all the uncertain consequences of that® gra® e ftep.^ofif

i62 FATEHASBEFNKIND

them whenever they chose to do so In banking language, the Cil> of
London as a whole had borrowed short and lent long, to an alarming and
unknown extent

The third committee, which had arisen out of Sir Donald Maclean’s
resolution in the House of Commons of a few months previously, and was
known by the name o/ the chairman. Sir George May, report^ on the
state of national expenditure It painted a lurid picture of unbalanced
Budgets The chief gravamen of its charge related to the money's which
Were being paid out week by week to Jhe steadily growing numbers of the
unemployed These moneys did not come directly out of the Exchequer
but from the Unemployment Fund, which v,2s fed by fixed payments
from employers, workers and the State Origmally this Fund had been
designed to be self balancing But successive Governments had found it
impossible to cut men out of benefit when they remamed unemployed
after their period of insurance had run out, and they had continued to
pay them out of the Fund. To replemsh it they had borrowed whenever
It was necessary, and the Labour Government had continued this practice.
Latterly, these ^rrovnngs had grown m frequency and amount

Tlie May report took exception to this, and treated all such out-
goings as current expenditure, which m a sense they were. But the report
went further than tins in putting an unfavourable complexion on the
position of the Exchequer Snowden in accordance with precedent, had
budgeted for a surplus of £50 millions to be used as a sinking fund for the
extinction of debt It had already become clear that (apart from on)
question of the unemployment money) the whole of this^so millions would
not materialise The May Committee chose to designate the amount by
which the surplus would so fall short as a 'deficit' On these premises it
reached the conclusion that there would be a considerable deficit for tre
cujTcnt year, 19JI-3 and a defint of no less than/izomilhonsin
unless changes were nude It accordingly recommended substantuj
cuts in salanes and wages paid out of public funds, and m the social
services, including unemployment relief

THEGOLDCRISIS t 1 63

£100 millions of this was needed at home, so that only some £32 millions
of free gold was available, and the Bank feared that m a few further days
this might be gone

Accordmgly it endeavoured to improve its position in two ways
First, it obtained permission of the Treasury to increase the fiduciary
issue by £15 millions, thereby reducmg the amount of gold needed as a
reserve against the home currency from £100 milhons to £85 millions
Secondly it procured credits of £25 millions each, from the Bank of
France and from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York These com-
bined actions mcreased the efiective strength of the Bank by £65 miUions ,
but at the same time they advertised the serious position, and by so doing
reduced confidence m the stability of the Bank

It will be observed that all this happened before the end of July 1931
and that up to that time the crisis was a purely banking affair Responsi-
bihty for it must be shared between those who had onginally created the
Reparations tangle, those who had passed the melastic currency laws of
1925 and 1928, and the Bank of England and the City of London, which
had got themselves into the immediate difficulty by over-lending abroad
It Was not Until the beginning of August that the Labour Government
became mvolved, and then only because the Bank found that its desperate
efforts were proving unavailing, and that it wanted to obtain further
credits from France and USA

It was at this juncture that the May report was published Scare
headhnes m the Press at home and abroad epitomized its findmgs as ‘a
deficit of £120 millions in the British Budget As I have already explained,
this was a zmsrepresentation of the facts In the last complete year,
J 930 - 31 » debt had actually been paid off, m the current year, 2931-2,
debt stood to be increased only by a few millions, even if payments for
unemployment were all includ^ as expenditure It was not till 1932-3
that, as against a desired reduction of debt by £50 millions, an mcrease of
some £70 millions was anticipated, and then only if no changes on either
side of the account were effected m the meantime

But the scare headhnes had done their work, and the Prime Minister
was confronted with an ultimatum which he reported to the Cabmet It

appeared that the French and Amencan Banks were not prepared to lend
^y more money to the Bank of England so long as the British Budget
remained unbdanced' The fact that France had had substantial
deficits, for years past, and that the USA had had a realized deficit of
£180 milhons in the previous year and had a prospective deficit of no less
than £300 millions for the current year, counted for nothing Borrowers
must conform to such conditions as creditors impose It was even
whispered, though I believe without any foundation, that the foreign
banks had insisted on a reduction m British unemployment relief If the
Cabmet were not able or wiUmg to accede to the wishes of the banlomr
world, the Bank of England, they were told, would be unable to meet its
liabilities and Bntam would have to go off the gold standard

Only a very few days of my August holiday had gone before I not wind
^the trouble, and I rushed up at once to London and to the Treasnrv
there I w^ told as much as It was thought proper for a lunior Mmwter
taow The Cabmet was facing the afternatue of going off thf mid
standard with all the uncertain consequences of that grave step ® f

^^4 FATEHASBtENKIND

making immediate cuts m the Tiational expenditure There would have
to be reductions, it was said, m the income of everyone, from the Prime
mmster to the neediest unemployed man and woman Contractual
obligations to soldiers and sailors and other public employees must be
modified, and the social services must be reduced Last, but not least m
my eyes as Financial Secretary, the long awaited improvement in the Jot
of the most poorly paid civil servants must be withheld, and a cut imposed
instead

I had never been enamoured of our return to the gold standard, but I
confess that, now that we were on if, I jregarded its abandonment as a
dangerous leap in the dark Nevertheless, the proposals just outlined
seemed to me odious Moreover, I did not believe they were the right
Way to save the gold standard For that purpose, what was required
was to peg the exchange by mobilizing* the foreign investments in the
possession of Bri tish subjects. This was the method that had been adopted
during the previous war. and it was subsequently to be the method
used m the present war, until ‘Lease and Lend’ relieved us of the necessity
of paying cash for the munitions supphed to us by the U.S A There
was no*reason to suppose that it would failf m 1931 , and from what
hapjjened subsequently I am strengthened m my view that, if the gold
standard had to be preserved, it was the only way of trying to do it
that was hkely to succeed

As to the Budget, though I did not swallow all the tendentious figures
of the May report, I recognized that the rapid growth of unemployment
had created a new situation which had to be faced It was no longer
Ieg;itimate to borrow continually on account of the Unemployment
Fund' and to pretend that the national finances were not thereby afiected
The modern economic theory that, m time of depression, it may be the
duty of a Government deliberately to unbalance its budget, had not then
been widely promulgated, and I was m favour of makmg ends meet, if
not annually, at any rate over a short term of vears I was therefore
prepared to support some reinforcement of the Exchequer by a supple
mentary Budget for 1931-2, and, unless things improved, considerable
changes in 1932-3 I realized, however, that the crisis was not one of
scarcity but of abundance, and I repudiated the suggestion that we were
'on the verge of national bankruptcy I maintained that, so long as a
country as a whole was living within its means {which Britain imdoubtedJy
was), It made little difference to foreigners what was the proportion
between taxes and loans in which its citizens sustained the activities 0/
the State

There was, moreover a double distmction, which was not commonly
recognized) between credits given to foreign countries by British financiers,
and moneys given to our own unemployed on the credit of the Bntisii
Exchequer From the point of view of national well being, the former

• My atteatioo was called to this propose by two powerful articles wniten by a fiaaoaal
«zpert iQ tbe ManchrsUr Guardian

fSaowden sUled in tbe course of tbe Septembet debates iu the Howe of
that this proposal was considered and rejected because Uie steps necessary to have obt^
possession of^e secunues wouM have taken too long I wnnot accept this ^ CM
w^Sle blocks of them were held in a few bands *o>fc^d have been
hours. But In all probability the mere aonounoKneat that ibu action was to be tsaei ,
Signed by the leaders of aU three Parties, woold has^ been sufBclent

THE GOLD CRISIS

165

wrved no useful purpose except to bring speculative profits to the titv of
London, whereas the latter sustained the standard of life of our pemile
through a period of difficulty From the point of view of finance the
former was hahle to create a ‘run on the Bank' for gold, whereas the latter
at worst, increased the internal debt which the State owed to some of its
own subjects

I never had the opportunity of discussing all this with Snowden but
I caught him for a moment and expressed to him my concern about the
pay of civil servants, and I wrote him a letter regarding the mobilization
ot assets I also wrote an urgent letter to the Prime Mmister to the same
ettect and asked to be allowed to put my views before him I got a letter
from him in reply telling me to hold myself m readiness to wait on him
Meanwhile Susan Lawrence (who, I may remark in passing is not
a relation of mine) came to see me As Parliamentary Secretary to
the Ministry of Hedlth, she was more especially concerned with'^the
proposed cuts m unemployment relief, which she regarded as dreadful
We discussed the whole situation and agreed that, if the Cabinet
decided to accept the cuts in their entirety, we would both resien from
the Government ® ‘

Meanwhile, for three whole days and nights the Cabmet sat in almn«t
continuous session, with brief intervals for sleep and meals As
ate lepsUtion might be necessary, the leaders of the Conservative and
Liberal Parties were informed of the situation, and the Pnm^.
conveyed their views to his Cabmet colleagues Labour Ministers A. J
afterwards that they got the impression that, as fast as thev aereeH
visionally to any proposals, the conditions were set higher aeaincf
Be that as it may, there is no doubt that they were told that unless t

ap-eed to the cuts, the pound might depreciate

blame for that would rest upon them So cleverly had the

the City and m the Bank of England, been laid on the Hnnw ♦ '

Labour Government. doorstep of the

At last I got my summons from the Prime Minister
Downing Street at the hour appointed, expecting a Dersnn:.}
found a concourse of junior Ministers arriving at the cn ^^^^^view I
went m and were sat round a table MacDonald Drorppfifl,w^

He told us that, when he had summoned us, it had been fn r address us
in common with Cabinet Ministers we should have to si ff
salaries, but since then the situation had changed and fi
us that we were to have no salaries at all — a somewhat t ^*1 ^
which meant that we were dismissed' He gave a Pleasantry,

cnsis, told us that the Cabinet had broken up and that°K recount of the
'National' Government with Conservative and Libe^i forming a
made no appeal to those present to stand in with him k ‘'“leagues He
consult their own interests — which 1 am afraid I r ♦k m’ged them to
preted to mean that he preferred their room to th
promised us that he would be no jjarty to a 'couor * i ^ company He
to what had happened in igi8 He closed the n^^t ®^®ction, a reference
he had important business to transact As abruptly, saying

good bye, he detained me for a moment.^ and sat A
willing to stay %vith the new Government, fam f^ought I might he
1 had already decided to resign even if the «>, , °^^hned the sucgestion-
®^hole Cabinet had a^eeJt*^

fatehasbeenkind

the ‘cuts' programme, I was certainly not going to support it when they
had rejected it

As I left Downmg Street. I experienced a distinct sense of relief, and
recalled the saying that, if the proudest moment m a man's life is when he
takes up office, the happiest is when he lays it down I had been greatly
disturbed at the policy which it seemed was being thrust upon the-Labour
Government, and at the suggestion that, by rejecting it, they would be
running away from reality and plunging the country into an inflationary
abyss I had feared that I should be placed on the horns of a dilemma,
and should be compelled either to dissociate myself from my colleagues,
or to share their responsibibty Both were repugnant to me By the
stand taken by the Cabinet and by MacDonald's decision to head a
Coalition, I was released from the necessity of choosing either alter-
native *

I attended a hastily summoned meeting of the whble Parhamentary
Party, at which Arthur Henderson was appointed leader m place of
MacDonald and I was elected to the Executive I circulated among my
colleagues a memorandum on the situation I found both ex-Mmisters
and rank and hie bewildered and distressed for many of them had
been quite unprepared for the catastrophic turn of events ^^^t troubled
them most of all was to account for theaction of MacDonald He had been
their champion, the man to whom they had given their confidence and
their loyalty Now he had jomed the ranks of their political enemies, and
had taken Philip Snowden and junmy Thomas with him Was it sheer
apostasy for which perhaps he had long prepared 7 Or could it be the
dreadful truth that he and they were right and that all the rest of
us were dreamers, for whom there was no place m a world of hard
reality^

I have never had any doubt in my own mmd as to the correct answer
to this conundrum MacDonald and Snowden quite genumely believed
the case that was put up to them by official opimon m the City, at the
Bank, and in the Ireasury It was only natural that they should do so,
because, to the best of my knowledge, they never took the trouble to
inform themselves of the contrary opimon that was held by a number of
other men of high finanaal standmg They therefore accepted, at its
face value, the advice tendered by (be persons in the City who, hav^
been primarily responsible for the crisis, w ere only too anxious to transfer
the onus for it oil to other shoulders But while this is true, it must also
be remembered that, for years past, both of them, and MacDonald m
particular, had been subjected to a great deal of carping criticism from tiie
left-wing of the Labour Party, and that they w ere not sorry to free them-
selves from It ,

As to the merits of the case itself, they were speedily to be put to me
test of events, the sequence of which I wiU proceed to relate Parbament
was called together on September 8 and MacDonald ga\e his account oi
what had happened He depicted the dire consequences which woi^
result from going off the gold standard. The pound would drop like tne
German mark, prices would rise indefinitely, salancs, wages, and unem-
ployment benefit, though retaining thar money value, would contmue lo
fall m purchasmg power until they were almost valueless Compare
with such a catastrophe a strictly regulated sj'stem of cuts was a mnu

THE GOLD CRISIS 167

unpleasantness An acrimonious debate followed which threw more
heat than light on the controversy

On September lo, Snowden introduced a revised Budget for 1931-2,
and gave an account of the state of the national finances even more
gloomy than the May report itself He imposed fresh taxes of all hinds
On September 14 the Economy Bill was introduced The Government
announced cuts in the receipts of all persons drawing money from public
funds Judges, Cabinet Ministers, MPs teachers, civil servants,
members of the Forces, and the unemployed all were to suffer It was
hotly contested by the Labour Opposition On September 17 it was
reported to the House of Commons that a mutiny had occurred m the
Atlantic Fleet m consequence of the cuts in seamen’s pay This report
was authenticated and obtained widespread mternationil publicity

On September 21, the Government came down to the House to ask
for the passage, through all its stages m one day, of a Bill abrogating the
gold standard They explained that on the formation of the National
Government, with its undertaking to balance the Budget, the Bank of
England had secured its big credits from France and USA, but that the
dram of gold had continued at such a rate that it was evident that these
would be speedily exhausted The Bank must therefore be relieved of its
obligation to pay out gold before it broke the law under duress The
Bill was accordingly passed without opposition
♦The exchange value of the i almost immediately fell by about one
fifth m terms of currencies such as the dollar, which were based on gold.
But after that it fell only a little further and then it remamed
nearly stable Several countries, moreover notably Scandinavia, went
off gold simultaneously with ourselves and remamed linked to sterling
Further, the general level of wholesale prices m Britain rose only by about
7 per cent and retail prices showed stillless change It was noticcab|c
that with the departure from gold the Bntish export trades began to roviv c

Thus nearly all the prognostications of MacDonald and his Gov cm-
ment had been belied fheir cuts programme had not saved the gold
standard Though they had delayed by a few weeks the culmmation of
the crisis, they had not enabled the Bank of England to meet its obbga-
tions m gold On the contrary, by all this talk about national bank-
ruptcy, and by causing a mutiny m the fleet, they had increased the
foreign lack of confidence in this country The departure from gold lud
not resulted in unlimited inflation, instead, it had been found quite
possible to control the extent of tlie rise in the pnee level Finally, the
failure of the Bank to mamtam an artificially overvalued pound, so far
from ruining British industry, had provided a welcome relief to the
harassed export trades

I had taken an active part in debate in opposition to the case put by
MacDonald and, now that his forecast bad been proved wrong m almost,
every particular, I looked for some reaction But I look^ m vain
Inside the House of Qimnions, Conservatives, who were no doubt grateful
to him for havmg broken up the umty of their opponents, contmu^ to
acclaim him as the saviour of his country, and the general public, with the
help of a friendly Press accepted the same attitude towards him and his
policy

1^8 FATEHASBEtVKIND

For me personally the month had been an exceptionally busy one In
addition to my work on the Executive, on the front OpposUion bench,
and in a committee room upstairs helping to draft a Party programme for
a possible general election, I had undertaken at the suggestion of a
publisher to write a book* of 25.000 words on the crisis He had asked
for It to be done m three weeks, and it would have been ready m time,
but, just as I was finishing it, the gold standard was abandoned and the
last chapters had to be reivritten Finally, I had to prepare myself for
the autumn session of the Indian Round Table Conference, of which I had
been made a member earlier in the year, I will reserve an account of this
for the next chapter

Towards the end of September, the Prune Minister was faced with a
new decision The Conservatives who formed the bulk of his supporters
in the House of Commons were pressing him to have a general election
For this, no genuine national necessity could be alleged The cuts had
been enacted, the Budget had been meticulously balanced, and m the
existing House of Commons, with over two years of its term still to run.
there was no danger of this policy being reversed Moreov er, MacDonald
had given express promises that he would be no party to a 'coupon'
election in which the scales would be weighted against his formef col*
leagues But the Conservatives were obdurate, and I have no doubt
that they made it plain to him that unless he bowed to their wishes he
would have to make way for a Conservative Prime Minister It was a
most critical decision for him to make If he had resisted their demand,
he would have preserved his own independence and might possibly ha\e
reintegrated the progressive forces of the country But he yielded, and
from that time onward became little more than a prisoner in the hands
Jf the Tory Party and the instrument of their policy Parliament was
dissolved on October 7 afid polling day was fixed for October 27.

The Lalxiur Party started the contest at a hopeless disadvantage
The leaders, whom it had extolled only a few short months before, were
campaigning vigorously against it The daily Press, with the solitary
exception of the Dat/y Herald, was united m heaping on its members
opprobrious epithets The electorate could not be expected to under-
stand the technical mtncacies of the financial situation The only thing
on the other side was that the Goveroment Parties were divided among
themselves as to any positive remedy for the industnal depression, m
particular, some of them wanted to introduce a general Tanff s>-stcm
while others adhered to Free Trade To meet this difficulty they adopted
the slogan of 'the doctor's mandate', surely the most gigantic piece ol
spoof ever put across at an election'

At the last week-end before the poll a new hare was started o)
'Walter Runciman and supported by Philip Snowden It was to the
effect that, if the seceding members of the Labour Cabmtt had iijw
their way. the Post Office savings of the people would have had to be
drawn upon to meet the payments to the uncmpIo>cd This was one
of those outrageous half-truths which convey a more false impression

• Tits GoU Cn$ii (Victor CoUaBU jt. cct ) it wai UaoUiteJ into

INDIA AND RUSSIA l6y

than many express lies which can be exposed and refuted It was
hterally true that the moneys required weekly to remforcc the unem-
ployment fund had to be found from increasing balances elsewhere, and
that as requirements grew, and other funds became exhausted, the new
savmgs m the Post Office would be utilized for the purpose But the
inference that the electorate drew, and were no doubt intended to draw,
from this, that their deposits were thereby put in jeopardy, was entirely
false

Of course, from the point of view of a depositor, a Post Office savings
account is a kmd of money-box, mto which he puts his money one day,
and from which he can draw it out on another But it is onl> a very small
part of the money so deposited with it that the Post Office keeps m its
till available for withdrawals The great bulk it invests m public
«cunbes,and no secunty could be safer than a Government-guaranteed
investment hke the loan to the Unemployment Fund Bchmd all such
loans are the whole resources of the nation, and default is unthinkable,
except on the bankruptcy of the entire community or the deliberate
repudiation of all forms of the National Debt

It was naturally impossible (o get this explanation across to the
electorate m time to influence their decision and I have no doubt that
many of them went to the poll and voted for the Government candidate
m the belief that by so doing they were helping to protect their savings
from loss This exploitation of the ignorance of the mass of the people
with regard to finanaaJ reahtics was, of course, only an incident m the
poUtical manoeuvre, by which the grave miscaJcuiations of financiers
were hidden and their power preserved at the expense of the pubhc weal

It had been expected that the labour Party would lose some scats
at the election, but the magnitude of its defeat exceeded the most
extreme prophecy Only 52 Labour M Pswerc returned to Parliament as
agamst 288 elected in 1929 and against 263 at the dissolution (not counting
the MacDonaldites) In Leicester, m consequence of a pact, the Liberal
stood down in the East division, and the Conservative in the West,
so that I was faced by a single Liberal opponent, a Mr Pickenng,
who, as he afterwards explained, took part in the contest for the sake
of the experience without any desire to become an JI P To his intense
astonishment and mine, he not only won the seat but polled more than
double my vote, the actual figures being 26,826 to 12 923 In this strange
V<csiiiun -was ViudDAnririi ’«• •i-.hinhj \fiih

been inflicted on hnn there m 1918I

CHAPTER XVII
INDIA AND RUSSIA

The Round Table Conference — VIember of the Federal Structure committee An

uncompleted task — Majorca — A vis*t to U S S R — A Teaingrad finanaer— The

Bank of Russia — Molotov — The Volga boat — Rostov — A prison — Kief A

unique economy — ^The Five Tear Flan — Russian and British life compared

The fall of the Labour Government m 1931 had not merely domestic
significance It had profound consequences overseas, both vvithm and

^70 r/iTE HAS DEES hlSD

mthout the Bntish Empire The Labour Party has always had a distinc-
tivc international policy, the essence of which is a behef in the inter-
dependence of the well-being of the peoples of the world It has there-
fore been opposed to economic self-sufficiency, pohtical isolationism, and
the exploitation of subject races

During the two penods of Labour admmistration. effect had been
given to these views by Ramsay MacDonald, who with his wide foreign
associations was a fitting exponent of them In 1924, as his own Foreign
Secretary, he uas successful m securing, what at the outset seemed
impossible, the simultaneous goodwill of both the French and the German
Governments From 1029 to 1931, vvith Arthur Henderson at the
Foreign Office, steps had been taken to enhance the prestige and influ-
ence of the League of Nations, and the British Government had taken
the initiative in calling a conference to discuss mutual disarmament
At this conference foreign delegates had done Henderson the honour of
electing him as its president In the Bntish Colomes, Sidney Webb,
with the able assistance of Drummond Shiels, had introduced long-
overdue Labour legislation Meanwhile, as Secretary for India, Wedg-
wood Bonn had been making a fresh approach to the rntneate problems
of that great country

In ah these fields, the fall of the Labour Covemment and the rout
of the Party at the General Election prevented the full harvest from
bemg reaped , for MacDonald, though be remained Prune Minister, was
not permitted by the CoaUtion which he led to pursue his former policy
The Disarmament Conference wilted when the support of the Bntish
Government was withdrawn, and Henderson, though he remained its
president, ceased to have any power The pace of colonial legislation
was slowed down, and labour unrest m many of the colomes began to
take an active* shape The story of India I will proceed to tell at greater
length, for in that I was a direct partiapant

It will be remembered that my wife and I had spent our silver honey-
moon in India m 1926, and that we had bad the opportunity, while
there, of getting in touch with many of its leading personalities Gn
our return home we did not allow these contacts to lapse A number of
Indians came over from time to time to visit London for vanous pur-
poses, and the rooms of the Empire Parliamentary Assoaation in tbe
House of Commons were opened to them by its secretary. Sir Howard
D’Egvdle Among these visitors m 1928 was the Pandit Motilal Nehru
(the father of Jawarharlal Nehru) , and my wife and I had the pleasure
of entertammg him to dmner at the House of Commons We found
him very sore at the treatment which was being accorded to India by
the British Government, and disinclined to be communicative

At last, however, by the fnendly attitude of our little circle of guests
towards Indian problems m general, and towards himself m particular,
we thawed out the old man, and we mduced him. m reply to the toast
of his health, to make a short speech He expressed his feehngs quite
frankly and told us that what Bntam had done in India had been quite
mcomprehensible to him But on that very day he had been present
in the Gallery of the House of Commons when the Prayer Book had
been under discussion, a country whidi would entrust to its popularly
elected representatives the task of deading the fundamental bases of its

INDIA AND RUSSIA I7I

religion could well be expected to take equally extraordinary action
with regard to other (Questions 1

In November 1927, Mr Baldwin, who was then Prime Minister, had
decided that the time had come to prepare for a further step towards
Indian self-government, and he had appomted a statutory commission
of M P s and peers under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon to go
out to India to study the situation on the spot This method of approach
was resented by leaing Indian pohticians who regarded it as an attempt
to settle over their heads the future status of India and who claimed the
nght to be in at the beginning m the discussion regarding the govern-
ment of their own country Nevertheless, the Simon Commission went
out to India and came home and made its report Among other things,
It Recommended (i) in the provinces, the substitution, for the existmg
diarchy, of Cabmets answerable over the whole provincial field to elected
legislatures, (2) a Federal Assembly for British India constituted by
indirect election , (3) a Council for Greater India, in which the Indian States
would be associated with British India But Indians remamed suspicious
and hostile

When the Labour Government came m in 1929, it was confronted
with a demand for an immediate reversal of policy, and when that was
not conceded, disorder broke out afresh As one who had taken an
active part, twenty years previously, m the militant campaign to win
votes for women, I had great sympathy with the brave men and women
m India who were facmg injury and imprisonment m their fight to secure
self-government But 1 realized the j^culiar difficulties of the Labour
Government, which had no majonty and no certainty of continuance m
office It was no good for us to make promises on behalf of the Bntish
nation, when we might not survive to fulfil them It was essential to
carry with us a substantial body of support in other parties I therefore
welcomed the decision m the following year to summon a Round Table
Conference and to invite to it representatives of all sections of opinion
m both countnes

It will be remembered that when I was m India m 1926 this was
the method of approach recommended by Congress itself But much
had happened since then , and Congress leaders, jncludmg Mr Gandhi,
now declined the invitation to be present Nevertheless the Conference
was attended by promment Hmdus, Moslems, and Sikhs, by Indian
princes, by representatives of the depressed classes. Labour, and the
Bntish communities m India, as well as by all the three Parties m our
own Parliament The astonishing tbmg w-as that, in this diverse assem-
bly, a wide measure of agreement on fundamentals was amved at The
pnnciple of self government for the whole of India was accepted on the
basis of a federal settlement But the Conference did not m that session
complete the work of framing a constitution It decided to adjourn its
sittmgs for several months in order that the skeleton solution agreed
upon might m the meanwhile be clothed with the flesh and blood of
practical details, which could later be discussed upon their ments

Up to that point I had played no part except as an onlooker in the
proceedings, but now Wedgwood Benn began to take me into rnn
sultation He told me that I was to serve on the Round Table Confer^nr
at Its second session in the autumn of 1931, and that I would be appointed

172 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

to the committee dcahng with federal structure At his pressing request,
1 assisted him to redraft some of the official memoranda, m particular one
dcalmg with finance, so os to embody in them the spint of agreement in
place of that of dictation He kept me mfonned of his strenuous efforts
to secure the attendance of Mr Gandhi at the Conference, m the face
of great difficulties of all kmds, and when at last he was successful, I
sliared his sense of satisfaction

During the early summer of 1931 the British section of the Con
ference met several limes to prepare a draft BUI Some divergence of
opinion then began to show itself between the representatives of the
British Parties The Conservatives wanted to introdufe a great number
of meticulous reservations and safeguards, but Wedgwood Benn and I
and the Labour representatives generally took the view that these
would defeat their own ends because they would deprive Tn^lign Govern-
ments and legislators of responsibility for having to make essentia> and
perhaps unpopular decisions We got a good deal of our own way, for at
that time we were still the Govenunent of the country

Before, however, the Conference actually met, the earlier of the
events described in the last chapter had taken place MacDonald was at
the head of his Coalition, and Benn and I were m Opposition Never-
theless, outwardly no change was made in the plan of the proceedings
or m the scope of the mvestigation St James s Palace was the scene
of our deliberations, and ue divided up at once into committees 1 ivas
placed on the important one dealing with federal structure

As a mere spectacle, a sitting of this committee presented a remark-
able and fascmating picture It was literally a round table conference
in that we sat round the room m a seim-circle with a table m the centre
l,ord ^ankey occupied the chair m the middle of the long straight side
On bis left was Mr Gandhi, m blanket and loincloth Next to him was
the Pandit Malaviya. a saon of one of the oldest families m India To
his left agam were Mrs Naidu, the poet, and other members of the
Congress Party, and then the Indian Liberals, including Sir Tej Sapni,
Mr Jayakar, and Mr Sastn Then came Dr Ambedkar, of the depressed
classes, then Mr Joshi the labour leader, then the representatives of the
Indian Chambers of Commerce, then the Aga Khan, and the other
Indian Muslems To their left were the British community's representa
tives Mrs Subbarayan came next, and then the Pnnees and Prune
Mmisters of the Indian States, ending up with the progressive and
greatly respected Gaekwar of Baroda My place was next t6 his, and
to my left were Wedgwood Berm and other Labour delegates, then the
British Liberals, then Sir Samuel Hoare, who had in the Coahtion
Government taken Benn’s place as Secretary for India, and so back to
Lord Sanfcey m the chair Ail the Indian Princes wore their own gor
geous costumes, and a touch of homely comedy was introduced when,
at the begmnmg of each sitting an attendant biought m two rugs and

wrapped one of them round the kneesof Lord Sankey and theother round

those of Mr Gandhi

It was evident from the first that there was a change of atmosphere
corresponding to the change of Government at home, and I am quite
sure the Indians felt it Instead of coimng together with us to solve
in agreement a problem of world significance in which we were all equally

II»D 1 \ASDHUSSIA I73

concerned, they were being given, on a platter, a helping of as much
^If-govemment as was considered good for them and not too much
for us to concede Of course this idea was never expressed m so many
words, but it was present at the back of all our mmds, and it destroyed
the spint of goodwill that had permeated the earlier session This change
was still further marked dunng the later sittings, held after the General
Election had taken place, at which the Labour Party had been viundiy
defeated, and Benn and I had both lost our seats

Nevertheless, we did have a number of interesting discussions and
many speeches were made, including one by myself on November 24 on
the transference of financial responsibility But the Conference arrived
at no new final conclusions as to federal structure and it solved no
basic problems, either between Bntam and India, or betvseen different
Parties in India itself When MacDonald, in wmding up the plenary
Conference on December i, discoursed on the result of its activities,
Mr Gandhi said he had looked earnestly but in vam for the basis of an
agreed settlement, and MacDonald himself expressed privately to my
wife and myself his regret that he had been prevented from making a
further advance Subsequently, when the India Act was earned through
Parhament, its reception in India reflected this fundamental lack of
agreement

After the rising of the Round Table Conference, Emmeline and I
went abroad, revxsitingAustna and Hungary Later we went to Majorca,
and fell m love with its almond trees and orange groves, its hills and
villages. Its blue sky and exquisite glimpses of the sea Wc admired,
too, the independent spint of its peasantry On our way back wc spent
two da^ at Barcelona and looked down on this flounshuig Catalan city
from the heights of Tibi Dabo After retummg to England I began
to think about getting back into Parliament I decided not to remam a
prospective candidate for West Leicester, but I did not for some time
get smted with another constituency

In the early summer I was invited by the New Fabian Research
Bureau to form one of a small party going to Russia to carry out a general
investigation mto conditions in that country I readily agreed, and
the subject of finance was allotted to me Gomg to Russia was still
regarded, m 1932, as somethmg of an adventure, and there were a niunber
of formalities to be gone through, but at last everything was fixed up by
Intounst (the Russian Travel Agency), and we paid over a cheque to cover,
not merely our board and lodging and entertainment durmg our stay[
but also the special facilities that we required for carrying out our
investigations

We had our first expenence of the Russian wa> of hie on the boat
that sailed direct from London Bndge vta the Kiel Canal to Lenmgrad
The disciplme of the crew, the service of the meals, the behaviour of
the staff, all reflected a different mQ<^ of hfe from that m capitalist
countnes The wireless operator was a woman, and there were worn ^
sailors among the crew The dup's doctor was a keen chess-Dlav.*?
and he and I had several games and on balance ended up about I

174 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

The voyage was calm^and uneventful, and I spent a good deal of my
tune on board in trymg to add to my acquamtance with the Russian
language, m which I had taken lessons before I left home Alas, I never
learnt enough to be of any real use to me, either on the voyage or m
the country on my amval

We came into the harbour at Leningrad very late at night, and
early next morning we went a^ore The formahties of admission into
the Soviet Union constituted almost a mystic nte, and reminded me of
Sutton Vane's remarkable play Outward Bound We were all herded
together in a great waitmg room One by one the names of my com-
panions were called, and they passed out through a httle door at the
extreme end of the room and id not come back At last my turn came,
and I wondered what was gomg to happen In fact, I was greeted by a
very effiaent young woman, who. addressmg me m perfect English, told
me that I and my colleagues wo^d be m her charge durmg our stay m
Leningrad My baggage was exanuned, my passport, which I had not
seen smce a week before I left London, was handed back to me, and I
was taken to a motor car in which I was dnven to the Oktober Hotel,
where I was to share a room with Hugh Dalton

The ordmary Bntish visitor to Russia m those days was content to
devote his week or two m the country to general sight-seeing, for him
the normal services of Intounst were qiute adequate But our party
had come for the express purpose of making certam mvestigations, and
we required special facilities to enable us to cany them out We were
accordingly taken to “Voks", the bureau where the cultural needs ol
visitors were catered for All our wishes were duly noted and later
punctiliously fulfilled , I was given opportunities to meet all the financial
authorities whom I desired to mterview and my colleagues, several of
whom were architects and engmeers, were shown examples of Soviet
construction which, at their special request, were not confined to those
which were a hundred per cent successful Wlule all these were being
arranged, we had a day of pure sight seemg, which included the famous
Hermitage, on whose art treasures our lady guide was evidently an
expert, and the so-called ‘anti-God' museum, which I found to consist,
for the most part, of an exposure of the malpractices of the Russian
Church imder the Czars

Real busmess began for me next day, when I spent a couple of hours
with the financial head of the province of Leningrad Intounst had
provided me with a special interpreter, who was acquainted with finan-
aal and economic terms, and 1 had a most interesting and ilhimmatmg
tune, for thohgh the finanaer did not know English, he certamly under-
stood his own job, and gave me a most lucid exposition I took lunch
with the British Mmister, who made me realize the pecuhar state of
boycott in which he, as a representative of a foreign country, was ke^
Any attempts at personal contact with Russians were promptly nipped
m the bud, no doubt at the instigation of the Soviet Government. From
what I have been told smee, this would appear to have been a common
expenence of British representatives m Russia, and it was one of the less
plying sides of its totalitanan regime I suppose the defence of it
would be that it was necessary to protect the young grow th of an entirely
new economic and social system from the contamination of old-world

INDIA AND RUSSIA I75

and reactionary ways of life and thought Be that as it may,. it un-
doubtedly made intercourse between the peoples of the two coimtnes
artificially difficult

After two days m Leningrad, we went on by night train to Moscow
There, Voks arranged interviews for me wth Greenko, the Finance
(^mmissar (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Smilga, the acting head of
the Plannmg system, Ossmsky, the head of the Statistical Department,
and Arcus, who was what we should call Governor of the Bank of Russia
As Arcus did not speak much English, Molotov acted as interpreter for
us, and, as may be imagmed, contnbuted many valuable points of his
own After two hours of engrossmg discussion, I was taken down to
see the vaults of the Bank, in which were great sacks of gold corns, and
also the Crown Jewels, including the famous crown of the Czars, wth its
enormous diamond which I was told was alone worth over a milhon
pounds

Of course I went to the great park of ‘culture and rest’, a real people’s
park where all sorts of games, mcluding chess, were mdulged m An
important feature was the nursery, where for a small payment parents
could leave their children to be looked after while they enjoyed them-
selves free of care I was much amused at the monster figures that I
saw at different places m the park Some of these were caricatures of
world statesmen, among whom were Ramsay MacDonald and the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury, others portrayed Russian workmen who had
turned up late for work, because they had got drunk the night before,
or who had misbehaved themselves m vanous ways The names of real
men were attached to these exhibits, which became therefore part of
their punishment

Both Moscow and Lenmgrad struck me as very fine cities, but at
the tune I was there they were strugglmg desperately to cope with the
immense mflux of population, which, I was told, amounted m each of
them to over a nuUion smee the revolution Many of their pnnapal
streets were undergomg repair and nearly all the shops were closed.
With the exception of a few selling food, where there were queues such
as we have l^en having in war-time, and one or two m which some
inferior secondhand goods were exposed for sale at preposterous pnees
The precise significance of all this m the general Soviet economy I will
presently explain

From Moscow I went to the famous city of Nijm Novgorod (now
Gorki) and, jommg a party of American professors, travelled for four
days and mghts down the Volga, on a nver steamer, to Stahngrad, not
far from the Caspian Sea These boats are the main means of transport
for the npanan population, and there were four classes of accommoda-
tion for passengers The lowest-class passengers were huddled together
below decks, and lay down to sleep at night among their baggaM and
animals On the way down, we passed many enormous rafts of timber
bemg floated down to the sea As the boat passed under a bndge all
passengers weU sent below, presumably to prevent any possible act
of sabotage Stahngrad presented signs of A^tic avilization, but at
Rostov-on Don I found a flourishing modem Ukrainian aty ’ ^

From Rostov I made two most mteresting excursions The fi
was to a pnson settlement a few miles out of the city There mod^

176 ^ FATEHASBEEVkIND

theones of penology were being put into practice The pnsonere worked
the fam lands with scarcely more supervision than m ordinary free
civil life There were no prison ivalls and few wardens , sometimes, even,
the prisoners were sent alone to a neighbouring town, with a wagon and
horses, to buy and bung back stores for the settlement They told me
that the number of attempted escapes were very few My other visit
was to Verblud, an iminense State farm extending over several hundred
square miles, where modem machmery of all kmds was m use Unfor-
tunately our time there was greatly limited as we got stuck m the mud
on the way After leaving Rostov I went to Kiev, a city that I greatly
admired, and next day I travelled to the Polish frontier and so out of
Russia to Warsaw and back to England

There were three features of the Soviet economy, at the tune I was
there, which differentiated it from that which prevailed elsewhere ^
the first place it was totahtanan to a far greater extent even than was
the case m Fascist Italy or subsequently m Mazi Gennany All urban
enterprise and trade, except for a minute amount of petty huckstering,
were in the hands of the State, which controlled and owned them There
was no pnvate capital, and no employment of labour by mdividuals for
their own profit In the country, the landlord and the big fanner bad
been ‘liquidated’, and there were large scale State fanns But a certain
amount of agnoilture was still earned on by peasants owning their own
land, though they were being encouraged to work together m co-opera-
tive undertakmgs where modem machinery could be employed

Secondly, there was nothing corresponding to what economists call
‘market overt' That is to say there was no definite and established
price attaching to any article for sale It would all depend on who was
the purchaser and where he was allowed to buy it Thus a teapot might
be sold m a workers* co operative for one or two roubles, and be pneed
at 50 to zoo roubles in an open shop Sunilnr vanations applied to
such articles of common consumption as a loaf of bread, a pound of tea,
a pair of boots, or a suit of clothes Moreover, the cost of living m one
town, to which the Government wished to attract labour, might be
only half that m another which was overpopulated In the mam, pnees
of consumers' goods were regulated so that a wage of 70 to 100 roubles
a month just sufliced to ofafam the bare necessaries of life, but each
successive 100 roubles above that brought a rapidly dimmishmg return
The price of machmery and of other capital goods was probably more
stable, but as sales of such articles were only &tween one State enter-
pnse and another, the question was m essence one of a book keeping
nature • I was told that onginaJIy it had been thought unnecessary ^
attach any money values to such transactions, or to keep books to record
them, but that this had led to carelessness and failure, the rcsponsibibW
for which could not be brought home to any mdividual It had bad,
therefore, to be abandoned Now each State enterprise stood on its
economic and financial basis and was designated a trust*, though 01

• The wtuatjoa may compared with that cl a man Jn Eoslaod who runi a lana and ■
bu&Inets, and who c^t* the iarm accouaU loc what he buya Ifom it ior hia buiiaesa.

INDIAANDRUSSIA I7-

course m common with others it was State property When it came
to lorei^ trade, an entirely different set of considerations detennmed
pnce. whatever the nommal exchange value of the rouble, and whatever
cost of production at home, the Government could always undercut
the world pnce in its exports, if it suited its general purpose to do so
ihe third fact was that Russia, in addition to all its other changes,
^ throes of an mdustnal revolution m which it was jumpmg
straight from the small unit of the eighteenth century to the mass produc-
tion of the twentieth Two things were necessary to accomplish this
traiwition— ^t a long term plan, and secondly compulsory abstmence
01 the population from all unnecessary expenditure My Russian hosts
explained to me meticulously how both of these were accomplished The
piM originated at the centre as a tentative scheme, it was then pushed
stsge hy stage, until it reached the circumference — the workinan
m the factory At each stage it was discussed and cnticized It then
came back the way it went, until it reached the centre again, finally, m
Its amended form it was enacted and then had a binding effect Abstm-
ence was enforced by means of the machinery of the banks, pnee-fixmg,
^d shortage of supply of consumers' goods Thus the balance was always
tnted m favour of the production of ‘capital' goods, the heavy goods
having pnonty m the first instance There was some feehng m Russia,
when I was there, that this tilting had recently been overdone, and
rV/ harvests, it had senously reduced the standard

of life of the people But the answer of the Government was that there
was urgent need to huny, no one could ever tell how long would ^
the penod of grace before the country and its economic system were
the object of foreign aggression la fact, this penod proved to be almost
wcactly nme years from the time I was there until the Germans invaded
Russia in June 194X

My stay m Russia \vas far too short to enable me to obtam a com-
prehensive view of the country as a whole, but I am satisfied that I
acquired a real undeistandmg of its finanaaJ system I desenbed
in detail in my chapter m the book subsequently published, by GoUanez,
for the New Fabian Research Bureau, entitled Twdvs Studies tn Soviet
Russia I formed a very high opmion of the way in which p lannin g was
wmg earned out, and I was immensely struck by the extent to which
Soviet economy was providing resources for capital development I
reckoned that these were comparable with what was being done through-
out the whole of the Bntisb Empire

For the rest, I formed the impression that the Bolshevist Govern-
ment had come to stay, and that, while the peasantry had not taken
kindly to collectivization, the bulk of the urban workers were fired with
enthusiasm for the new order, and accepted such pnvations as it imposed
upon them with a good grace The claim to have abolished class dis-
tmctions I found only partially justified While m theory it might be
true, in practice there remamed great differences m purchasmg power
and therefore in mode of hfe, between different sections of the p^ula’
tion Nevertheless the change m the status of the worker
fundamental significance

I had no wish to see Russian institutions transplanted bodilv t
own country, and I thought the general standard of hfe of the Ru^™^

FATEHASBErNKIND

workman, at the time I was there, substantially below that of his corrcs
ponding number m England But I saw much to admire dunne mv
\ recognized that there was an immense amoimt that we
couia learn from it to our own advantage

CHAKTER XVni

WORLD perspectives

A MSit to Spam— Devaluation of American dollar— Hitler in power— The Dimitrofi
Committee— Egypt— Palestine— Jew and Arab— The Emir of Transjordania
— Damascus — Athens and the Parthenon— Turkey— Ataturh s reforms— A
conference of women

In the winter of 1932-33 Emmeline and 1 paid another visit to Majorca
From there we went to Spam and travelled through some of the majestic
sceneiy of the southern part of the country Places such as Granada,
Malaga Algeciras, Cordova, Seville, and Cadiz, which had until then
been only names on a map, became to us living reabties Not only
were we impressed with their architectural treasures, hut we were also
struck with the cleanliness of the aties and the kmdlmess of the people
We were told that many Spaniards now preferred football matches to
bullfights and that the latter wepe in part kept gomg by the high-
priced pickets sold to foreign visitors, including (to our shame) English
tourists, who were cunous to see this cruel sport, forbidden m their oivn
countries We wound up our tnp at the famous and mighty Rock of
Gibraltar Little did we suspect that, before many months had passed.
Spam would be rent by civil war, which would mutilate its architectural
treasures and bring great suffering on her people, or that a few years
later m the second World War Gibr^tar woidd no longer assure to Bntam
undisputed control over the western entrance to the Mediterranean
Whiie'we were m Spam we learnt that the Umfed States had aban-
doned the gold standard There was no question in her case of inability
to pay out gold on demand The vaults of her banks were stuffed with
It But the contmuous fall in pnees had wrought havoc with her indus-
trial life, and her unemployed were estimated at some twelve million
men and women \Wjen it came to the point that her whole financial,
economic, and social structure was threatened with coUajise, Franklin
Roosevelt, the newly elected President, took action and devalued the
dollar He proceeded to take powers to control (i) the banks, (2) the
currency, {3) the creation of credit, and (4) the promotion of public
works He declared it to be his mtention to raise dollar pnees and,
m co-operation with other nations, to stabilize them on a new level
This catastrophic event was naturally of supreme mterest to me
More than a year previously I had, at the invitation of my fnend Ray-
mond Gram Swing given a broadcast talk to Amenca on ' How England
Gets on Without Gold" In this, my first cxpcnence of the microphoae.

1 had cxplamed the need for all nations to reach a stable standi of
value, which I had defined as the pnee of a fixed basketful of goods
In the spnng of 1932 I had strongly approved of the Bnlish decision to

WORLD PERSPECTIVES I75

create, the Exchange Equalization Account and to put it under the con-
trol, not of the Bank of England, but of the Government I had further
aeveioped my ideas in a book* which attempted to give precision to
^solutions, earned almost simultaneously by conferences of the Labour
^any and the Conservative Party in October 1932, in favour of stabilizing
the general level of pnees **

The fact that President Roosevelt s decision, like that of the Bntish
uovemment m 1931, was forced on him by events made it all the more
important It marked a new stage m weanmg countnes away from
dependence on gold, and ushered m a neVfr era of managed currencies
A accepted an mvitation to address a small mectmg of the House of
on the subject, and I also took part m a special inquiry on
oehalf of the Royal Institute of International Affairs under the chair-
manship of S;r Charles Addis From that time onward, the Bntish
treasury developed more and more a pohey of its own, separate from,
and m some ways antagonistic to, the deflationary line of the Governor
K Bank of England Pnees were kept approximately stable and
cheapi money became established as the normal Except for a short
pened at the outbreak of war, this pohey has persisted right up to the
present day

' Meanwhile, m another country also, the mdustnal depression brought
awut by falling pnees was having disastrous effects The num^rs of
unemployed m Germany had reached the appalling figure of six
A^ons, inflammatory matenal for a perfervid demagogue to set ablaze
Hitler had no difficulty in persuading a great many Germans that this
and their other misfortunes were all attnbutable to the Jews, the Com-
munists and the Treaty of Versailles He became Chancellor of the
Reich and, after the bummg of the Reichstag, assumed absolute power
He instituted the concentration camps proceeded to inaugurate m
Germany the brutalities which have smcc marked the Nazi rule in all
countnes where he has had domination

I was profoundly moved at the stones which reached me of what
was taking place Physical cruelty alwa>-s affects me deeply, and I
Was at first inclmed to discredit the reports from Germany But as
after case became authenticated, a black shadow began to creep
across my consaousness which has never been lifted to the present day
I had been aware of great wrongs m the world I had witnessed injustice
Md oppression of the weak and helpless, but I had up to that time
believed that steadily, if slowly, things were gettmg better, and that
never agam would the tortures of bygone ages be publidy tolerated
I now learnt with horror that one of the great countnes of Europe was
pmg back century by century in civilization, and that atroati^were
^mg committed m cold blood on defenceless men and women which
had had their counterpart only m the darkest days of human hutorv °
At first. Hitler was not mclmed uime«ssanly to flout worJH
In fact, m his role of ‘defender of the faith’ and 'chief ^Iwark agai^t

• \foruy MuJJle and Vie Hay 0 *ti (Geo Allen & Utu rr-i )

t That IS to sa> , low rates of interest

l8o FATEHASBEENKIND

Bolshevism’, he was obtainmg support from wealthy reactionanes in the
Western democracies It seemed therefore just possible that carefully
worded protests m this country, signed by persons of enunence, might
have some influence upon bs actions m Germany I accordmgly gathered
'round me a number of distmguished men and women, draivn from all
parties, in what was called the Dimitroff Committee, and we took up
individual cases m letters to the Press, mid occasionally addressed polite
remonstrances to Hitler himself, or to one of his pnncipal subordinates
I do not thmk we acbeved very much but one or two of Hitler s
victims were released after we had exposed the hollowness of charges
agamst them In particular Dimitroff, himself a Bulgarian communist
after his acquittal in the Reichstag fire trial, was, m spite of threats
agamst him by Gonng, allowed to leave the coimt^ and go to Russia
From there, he sent me a special telegram, thankmg my committee for
what we had done m helpmg to brmg about his release For the lest
It soon became apparent that Hitler would go his way without re^rd
to what people thought m other lands and realizmg that the committee
had no longer any useful service to perform I wound it up

Nevertheless I remamed deeply concerned about events m German}
Their effect inside the Reich was ugly enough But I saw that
they came(i, also, a new menace to neighbouring coimtnes, including
our own I had ^ways assumed that a people would refuse to be led
mto war by its rulers, if a reasonable settlement was dearly offered to
them as an alternative It bad seemed impossible that they could be
kept m complete ignorance, and that every dissident voice could be
suppressed by violent means Yet this was actually happening m Gcr
many Accordingly, paafist as I ^vas, I now began to face up to the need
for armed collective security in defence of world aviliMtion 1110
development of tbs theme I will reserve for another chapter

In the winter of ig33-34 Emmchnc and I spent several weeks m
Egypt We stayed with ^jqitian fnends in Alexandna, and m Cairo
met the son of our fonner dragoman of J905 We revisited Luxor, and
were shown the tomb of Tutaidchamen m Thebes wbcli had been
vated smee wc had been there The granite quany at Assuan with
its huge half-cxcavatcd monolith, impressed me profoundly as cwdcnce
of the tremendous dnvc and energy of the ancient ruling caste

The political situation in Egypt at the time of our visit was not a > cp
happy one There was conflict between Kmg Fuad and the Wafd
were the popular party The Bntish were blamed for refusing to with
iaw from Egypt, and for pennitting the King to go\ cm unconsbCu
tionally I made contact with Nabas Pasha and other Wafd leaders,
and with the widow of Zagloul, and came to the conclusion that they
ready to accept a reasonable settlement with the Bntish, wbch wouW
even mclude the ^ exed questions of the Canal and the Sudan Suhs^*
qucntly I had a long talk at the Bntish Residency and was bapp>
find there an equally accommodating attitude, which a short tmic
later eventuated m the Anglo-Egyptiaxi Ucaty This has given sail*
faction to both sides and has recently stood the exacting test 0/ war

WORLD PERSPECTIVES l8l

leaving Egypt, we paid a short visit to Palestine, and returned
there for a longer stay m the following year (1935) We spent most
of our time m Jerusalem, but we also visited the other sacred places and
traversed the whole country from Hebron to Haifa and the Sea of Galilee
We went down to Jencho and the Dead Sea We crossed over into
fransjordama After the rams, we saw the desert literally blossoming
the rose, with gay flowers commg up all over it The country itself
enchanted us, and everywhere we found, amid the relics of its many
histones, modem problems of absorbmg mterest

We were shown many examples of the marvellous work done by the
Jews m reclaimmg the land and mcreasingthe fertihty of the soil Neither
high scientific research nor hard physical labour had been lackmg,
moreover, at Haifa and elsewhere, they had faced the penis of disease in
draining the swamps As a result, they had brought prospenty to their
settlements in vanous parts of the country, they had built up the culti-
vation of the citrus crop on a coimuerciai scale, and they had added
enormously to the revenues of Palestme

Even more interesting to a student of politics were their cultural
experiments In the aties of Haifa and Tel Aviv they had laid the
foundations of health and social services Several of their settlements
“t the country were on a communal basis At the tune of our first visit
w 1934 some of these had already been m existence long enough to
include grown up members of the second generation, and they appeared
to have got past the difficult stage in communal hfe When we went
back m 1935 we found the problem had been greatly aggravated by the
conung of large numbers of refugees from Germany, some of whom
lacked the outlook of the ongmal settlers Heroic efforts were bemg
made, however, to extend to them the fiiU amenities of communal hfe
One day we drove out to lunch with Dr Weizman. the enlightened
Jewish protagonist, and were shown over his famous mstitute and
laboratory After lunch I plied bun with searching questions on the
political side of the relationship between Jews and Arabs m Palestme
His full replies convmced me that there was a strong ^nma/a«e case for
the Jewish demands We were happy also to make the acquaintance of
Or Magnes, the president of the Hebrew University, and of Mr Joshua
Gordon, of the Jewish Agency, both of whom impressed us by the breadth
of their outlook

At the same tune we took every opportunity that presented itself of
informmg ourselves of Arab opinion Moderate men, such as the Mayor
of Jerusalem and the Governor of the District of Bethlehem, put their
case agamst the unlimited intrusion on their anaent civilization of
Jewish life and thought The Mufti, on the other band put the extreme
case He wanted to emigrate all the Jews who had come mto Palestme
smee the war I spent two hours with him one evening m an upper
chamber mside the city of Jerusalem while he expounded his view Our
absorbmg* conversation was frequently broken m upon by the ringing of
the telephone to mqmre whether the new moon had jet been seen in
Hgypt, which would be the signal for R ama dan, the month of fast, to
be brought to an end

We found much to admire in the way that the av"!! services were
bemg administered Finance, health, prisons education, were m

FATE HAS BEEV KIND

competent hands, but not much had been done for labour Weemoved
on several onions the hospitality of Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur
Wauchope, the High Commissioner, and were apprised of his valiant
efforts to induce Jew and Arab to settle down together in common
citizenship At the time of our visits there seemed a reasonable chance
that his conciliatory pohcy might be crowned with success, though
even then there were many cnucal observers who took a less hopeful
view Unfortunately the disorders which broke out later fully justified
their forebodings

In Transjordama the situation was quite different, for there had been
no Jewish immigration into that country The difficulty, there, was to
secure enough revenues to conduct the services of the State We dined
with the ruler, the Emir Abdullah, and at his request I discussed with
him some of the iinanual questions uppermost m Britam His wide
outlook and progressive views have since proved of great value in helping
to resolve racial problems

One day the Governor of Bethlehem took us to an Arab village,
where we found the mhabitants assembled to meet him He explained
to us that he was arranging for the final settlement of a dispute of long
standing Twenty years before, a man from this village had gone to
America and, as a result of a quarrel, had murdered a man commg from
an adjacent village in Palestme Shortly afterwards the murderer was
himself killed in a street accident This did not end the matter as it
Would have done in England From that time onward there had been<
feud between the men of the two villages m Palestine Whenever they
met in Jerusalem or elsewhere there was physical conflict At last it
had been decided by the village to which the murderer had belonged
to offer reparation The amount had been adjudicated on, and agreed
The villagers would take the money to the neighbouring village and
tender it They would also take food, which would be cooked by the
other village They would then all sit round together and eat it, and the
dispute would be at an end

On another occasion we were sitting m the house of some British
friends m Transjordama, when an Arab man and girl came in, m a state
of great excitement Their little brother, a child of six, had, m a quarrel
over a game of football, thrown a stone at another boy, whrch by mis-
chance bad hit him behmd the ear and killed him outnght The eWd
had been taken before a Court, which had discharged him owing to ^
tender jears But Arab sentiment was not thereby satisfied Our
visitors sard that they were being constantly molested in the market-
place and elsewhere by the relatives of the dead boy, and that this
would go on unless they could find the sum of £io< 5 , which a Moslem
Court had fixed as the equitable reparaUon They had sold upev erj tning
they po:>S€ssed. but bad only got together £50 ^at were they to
do> If I remember nghtly. the sequel was that the Court was mduc^
to make some reduction m the perialty, and that the balance rtquircti
was subscribed by fnends , , , . ,

These madents gave pomt to a conversation I had with a icameu
Tewish Rabbi, Dr Levine He cxplamcd that the ilosaic law, eje
for an eve aod a tooth for a tooth', which is commonly quoted by Chn^
tiaiis asa lawof savage vengeance, wtisju rrahty something quite diflcrcni

WORLD PEKSPLCT1\ LS, Ibj

It was a law to hmit penalties A powerful family or community must
not use Its strength and influence to demand unconscionable reparation
There was to be an eye penalty for the loss of an eye, and a tooth penalty
for the loss of a tooth, and these amounts must not be exceeded Its
nearest modem Bntish equivalent is probably the law of workmen's
compensation

We said good-bye to Palestine with regret, and drove up by car
into Syna Damascus, with its abundant water, was a dehght after the
pMched land from which we had come, and reined to us the story of
Naaman, the Synan leper, who indignantly contrasted the many fine
nvers of his native land vs^th the tiny Jordan Wc walked along the
^treet called straight' and entered the famous mosques of the city From
Damascus we went to Baalbek, and saw the wonderful Roman remains
Driving across Lebanon we came down into Beirut and embarked for
Europe

We had intended to spend a fortnight m Greece, but had been pre-
vented by the outbreak of a short-lived revolution However, it ended
in time for us to have one unforgettable day at Athens and, in the course
of It, to visit the Parthenon I am, unfortunately, one of those who find
that reality does not generally come up to the full expectatfon aroused
by the glowing descriptions of others But in the case of the Parthenon,
uin that of the Taj at Agra, nothing that I bad read m advance detracted
in the least from my appreciation of its completely satisf>mg loveliness
Perfect in design and exquisite m settmg it will remain with me alwajs
a beautiful and indelible memory

From Athens we proceeded through the Bosporus and past the
Dardenelles* to Istambul, where there was to be an international con-
ference of women While my wife was taking part in the preliminary
sessions I crossed the Bosporus and went by tram to Ankara I found
it in process of transformation from an upland village into the new
capital of Turkey Around the base of the little atadcl, with its steep
arid narrow streets, was being laid out a modem city of wide thorough-
fares, stately public buildings, and pleasant pnvate residences

This change of capital was only one visible evidence of the startling
innovations made by Ataturk This dictator had not been content, as
many other revolutionancs have been, to make a few spectacular changes
in political and economic structure, he had struck deep at the roots of
Turkish cultural hfe He had remodelled the language and its calli-
graphy, he had changed the national dress, he had reouentated the basis
of religious allegiance Perhaps most surprising of all, he had altered
the whole status of women Only ten short jears before they had been
in the harem Now the> were walkmg about the streets m European
clothes, entenng the mosques, becoming Members of Parliament, taking
part m conference discussions, and dmmg vvith us at the pubhc banquets
"We feel no embarrassment,' one of them said to my wife, "because we
know that m doing all this we are supported by the Government "

I asked a Turkish Mmister once how it was that Ataturk had been
able to accomplish so much wathout encountering fierce opposition
His answer was illuminating For centuries, he said, Turkey had

*^4 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

remained mviolate and had controlled an empire It was therefore an
immense shock to her people when her soil was overrun by a foreign
ajOTy m the war of 1914-18 This had aroused them to a consaousness
that their culture was out of date, and to a passionate dctennmation
to brmg it into line with modem thought Ataturk’s decisions were
therefore m the nature of a match which sets alight material ready for
combustion ^

It was, I beheve, at his express mvitatioa that the mtemational
conference of women was held m Istambul, and he took a personal
interest m it He got out a special postage stamp issue ui commemora-
tion of it, imprinting on the stamps of different denominations the
likenesses of distinguished women He placed one of his p^ces at
their disposal for the sessions, and at the close he mvited the leaders
to pay him a visit at Ankara, and saw (o it that they incurred no expense
in accepting his invitation

The conference itself ivas a marked success, and gave to Eramelme
and myself an added sense of pnde m the part we had played, a quarter
of a century before, in the resurgence of women It demonstrated once
more the essential unity of women, the world over, and the fact of their
common interest in the preservation of peace and the mutual co opera
tion of mankind

CHAPTER XIX

EDINBURGH M P

InvitatioQ to East Edioburgb — European sttuatioo— The peace ballot— 'XdJS
election — A Govenimeat pledge — Result of the poll — Aby^uua—- The Hoaie
Laval treaty— Words of Eurrpides — Conservative psycbolc^y— A defence of
collective security — Equal pay— Neville Cbamberlam s Budgets— Death of
George V — ^The Civil List — I^vy Councillor — A new Prime Minister

The city of Edinburgh has always had a speaal attraction for me On
the many occasions throughout my hie when I have visited it, on vanous
errands, it has always given roe delight I know of no street in the
world, except perhaps that alongside the Danube in Buda Pest, which
has the grandeur of Pnnees Street, while, for a combmation of natural
beauty and histone romance, the anaent capital of Scotland stands
pre-eminent I count it therefore as exceptional good fortune that it
has fallen to my lot to be one of its representatives m Parliament, and
to have its generous and cultured citizens as my constituents

I remember well the day m the autumn of 1933 when„directed by
Transport House, I presented myself in Edmburgh and was met at the
station by the secretary of the East Edmburgh Labour Party. Wiluam
Davie, and by George Rhmd, a promment local Councillor Not a word
about pohtics did they say to me until they had first taken me to the
City Chambers, and then to the Bunts and Scott Museum in the Canon
gate I thmk they wanted to satisfy themselves that I had the proper
sense of reverence for Scottish holy things before they trusted me, as an
Enghshman, to be a candidate for a Scottish seat I must have passed

EDINBURGH M P 185

the test, lor by the end of the day they had not only undertaken to
recommend me to the selection committee for adoption, but bad become
my close personal friends William Davie remains to gmde the Party
nnd to give me his trusted advice, but the good Councillor, whom I
learnt to love no less for his quiet humour than for his unfading devotion
to his fellows, has since passed away

At that tune, clouds had already begun to gather on the international
horizon Japan had invaded Manchuria and been adjudged guilty of a
breach of the Covenant, by a special committee of mvestigation set up
by the League of Nations and presided over by Lord Lytton The
Bntish 'National' Government had not only done nothmg about it, but
had put up Sir John Simon, at Geneva to expound the case for Japan
In Germany, Hitler, now firmly established m power, had started re-
anmng, but to what extent nobody seemed to know, though it was
whispered that many mfluential people were dehberately blind because
they wanted him to be a bulwark against Bolshevism In Italy,
Mussobm was already making preparations for his nefarious raid on
Abyssinia, a country which had only recently been brought into the
League at the express invitation of Italy herself

Inside the Labour Party these foreign events were beginning to
create a division of opmion Up to then, it had seemed possible to ndc
at once the two horses of pure pacifism and loyalty to the League But
now It had become apparent that the time might come when they would
take us in opposite directions Loyalty to the League meant support of
collective security and a willingness, if need arose, to co operate m the
application of sanctions If there was actual aggression, that might
involve us in war It was therefore necessary for the members of the
Labour Party, individually and collectively, to choose which horse, in
fhat event, they would continue to nde

I did not arrive at ray oivn personal conclusion without great search-
ings of heart. War was to me a hideous evil both in itself and in its
repercussions It not only brought immediate rum, but it rarely achieved
any lasting settlement It aroused many of the ugbest of human passions
I was under no illusion that a war waged on behalf of the League would
matenaUy differ from any other war, either in its conduct or in its results
My whole being revolted against being mstrumental in sending other
men to their doom, and in depnvmg women of their husbands, children
of their fathers, and mothers of their sons I foresaw, also, that the war
of the future would be fought largely m the air, and that on both sides
civilians of all ages would suffer mutilation and death

But I was compelled at the same time to face up to the other alter-
native If we were not prepared to take part in war on behalf of the
liberties of other nations of the League, or m defence of public right.
Were we prepared to have our own country overrun, our own liberties
destroyed and to allow a foreign domination to be established m our
midst? I had never taken up that attitude, not even when I was a
conscientious objector m 1918 and it was not an attitude that I could
support now I had no faith m passive resistance as a means of warding
off aggression I knew that men and nations would fight to preserve
their freedom and that I mjself would rather die tb^ lose it If, '
therefore, the way to preserve freedom was to join together to organize

lob rATEJIASBEENKlND

resistance, 1 saw that our country ought to be prepared to take its

part in the common eSort

^^the summer of 1934 fhe League of Nations organized a ‘peace
ballot . which took the form of a voluntary referendum of the Bntish*
electorate on certain matters of League policy One question related to
disarmament and presented no difficulty to me, I was in favour of that
on a mutual but not on a uniiateraliiasis Another dealt with collective
security We were asked to say whether we were prepared to support
It by (i) economic and (2), if necessary, by mihtary means This raised
the whole issue which I had been debatmgm my mind In the end, I voted
‘yes’ to both parts of the question Most members of the Labour Party
did the same, and, collectively, the Party at its annual conference, with
full realization of its new significance, reaffirmed its support of collective
security But a few members includuig some of my personal friends,
took a different hne and George Lansbuiy, who had been leading the
Party m Parhament, resigned his position after the vote was taken
In the country as a whole, out of eleven and a half million persons of
all parties who returned answers to the questions of the peace ballot,
no fewer than ten and a half millions were in favour of multilateral
disarmament and nearly seven imlhons supported collective secunty
with ail its implications These figures had a profound effect upon
Mr Baldwin the Prime Minister, and upon the members of his Govern
ment Up to that tune they had been ‘back»pedaJlmg on the League of
Nations and disparaging the conception of collective secunty Several
of them had advised Conservatives throughout the country to have
nothing to do with the ballot Now they decided to modify their atti-
tude At Geneva on September ii, 1935, Sir Samuel Hoarc, the Foreign
Secretary, went so far as to use these words

“The ideas enshrined in the Covenant have become a part of our
national conscience My country stands for the collective
maintenance of the Covenant m its entirety, and particularly for
steady and collective resistance to all acts of aggression “

In the minds of his hearers there was no doubt that these words,
which were received with great enthusiasm, had special reference to the
campaign which Mussolini Was already commencing agamst Abyssinia
They meant that the Bnfish Government was prepared to throw the
whole weight of the Bntish Empire, m common with that of other mcm-
‘oers (A “fne ’Ustgot, "WiS. la/i

interpreted m this country This view was remforced when, at the
openmg of the General Election, the Government made a declaration m
favour of collective secunty, and Government candidates, following this
lead, included it m their individual programmes

In East Edmburgh there was a tnangular contest The sitting
member was a Liberal, Mr D M Mason, who had m 1931, with the help
of Conservative votes, ousted my friend Drummond Shiels from the
seat But m Parliament he had m several ways alienated Tory supp^

He was also a strong supporter of a return to the gold standard The
Conservative candidate was a woman. Miss Couan, who was well known
locally I was greatly struck by the good spmt with which the election

EDINBURGUMP J87

was conducted The Women Citizens Association invited us to a joint
meeting, m which to state our respective cases, and it gave me a rousing
welcome and a splendid hearing In several of the big factones I was
allowed to address the men and women inside the works

My pnnapal support came from the fishmg village of Jlusselburgh,
which, though mcluded in the constituency of East Edinburgh, lies
outside the aty boimdanes and has a separate burgh coimcil of its own
But I also had loyal friends m Portobello, Craigentinny, Restalng, and
m the Canongate In the latter, electioneering took the quaint form of
going in succession into the various ‘closes’, ringing a dinner-bell, and
giving a short speech to the women who looked down upon me from the
thrown-open wmdows of the upper floors Emmeline had an enthu-
siastic reception on her amval m the constituency, and her sister. May
Pethick, did yeoman service m the committee rooms, while several
of my friends came up specially to assist roe m mdispensable wajs
It was not, however, until the last few da>s that the fight became
keen. By that time the mumapal elections were over and their results
celebrated, the broadcast speeches of the party leaders had been debvered,
^d the hterature of the candidates had gone round the constituency
In my election address, I stood by the whole programme of the Labour
Party, inclu^g, m particular, collective security, multilateral dis-
armament, the planning of industrial life so as to end the tragedy of
poverty in the imdst of potential plenty, and the abolition of the means
test

Foiling was on November i<|,and the result, declared next day, was
fattly close I secured 13.341 votes to JIiss Cowan's 12,229
Mason’s 5,313 On the announcement 0/ the figures my supporters
earned me m tnumph shoulder high through the crowd Shortly after
the poll, Mr Mason gave it out as his opinion that there was no real
future for Liberals except within the ranks of the Labour Party In the
country as a whole, the Government retained power with another huge
majority, but Labour secured 154 seats m the new House of Commons
Within four weeks Parhament had met, the usual formalities had
been gone through, I had been elected to the Labour Executive, the
King's Spee^ had been read, and the 'debate on the Address’ had pro-
ceeded nearly to its dose Suddenly, on December 10, there appeared
in the Press what purported to be the terms of an agreement betifrcen
the British Foreign Secretary Sir Samuel Hoarc, and the French Minister,
3?ierre I^val, for a proposed settlement of the Abyssmian question which.

It was said, the Emperor bad been advised to accept They were of a
devastating character More than half the territory of the dountry
was to be handed over to Italian control and the rest was to be sub-
jected to the ‘assistance of the League' Consternation prevailed among
all parties m the House of Commons, and the Labour Opposition deaded
to raise the matter forthwith Lees Smith opened the case and I wound
up, being sandwiched in between Mr Eden and the Prune ilmister
There had been some suggestion that the terms, as disclosed m the
Press, were not authentic, but I was able to show from the speech of the
Government spokesman that there could be no substantial inaccuracy
I stnpped the proposals of the camouflage of a give-and take agreement
and characterized them as a triumph for aggression and a setback for the

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

League I reminded the House ol Sir SamueJ Hoare’s speech at Geneva
on September ii, and of a further speech of his on October 22 in which
he had said. We cannot condone the multiple breach of treaties and let
the League survive " I called on the Prune llmister to hve up to his
professions at the General Election, and even at this twelfth hour to
repudiate the settlement, and I warned him that if he failed to do so he
would damage Bntish prestige and destroy all conhdcnce in the word of
Bntish statesmen Such a course, I said, would ‘usher m a future so
threatening and so black that none of us can contemplate it without
horror and dismay'.

Mr Baldwm was obviously moved by the attitude of ‘the House,
and though he defended the action of the Government that evening,
he yielded to a certain extent later on The Foreign Secretary resigned,
and Anthony Eden took his place The 'Hoare-Laval' peace terms were
not further pressed, and certain economic 'sanctions’ were imposed
against Italy More than 50 nations of the League co-operated m such
action under the leadership of Britain But, as tune went on, it became
mcreasmgly apparent that Mussohm was not being seriously impeded
The one sanction that, apart from mihtary action, might have stopped
his aggression, namely, a joint refusal to sell him petrol for ins aero-
planes. was not applied In the end, ifussohni, after employing methods
of great barbarity, won his war, and the Bntish Government, though
for a tune it refused to recognize the conquest, remained on fnendly
terms with the aggressor

While the war was still m progress, I remember well one evening
when 1 was sitting in the Chamber of the House of Commons listening
to a speech by a Cabinet Mmister He had just proved conclusively to
his own satisfaction why it was impossible for the Government to take
any really effective step to stop Mussolmi Suddenly I found nngmg m
my head the words of the Greek play, Medea, wntten by Eunpides over
3000 years ago "Now I have no more hope of the children hvmg
In the drama, Medea has just sent her cWdren on an errand, the end 01
which the Chorus realizes can only be tbcir death I was startled to
discover that subconsciously I had reached a similar conclusion with
regand to the European children of the present day Mussolini was
gomg to be allowed to win The I^eague of Nations would be broken
up Europe would have another war Her sons would be called on to
fight, and milhons of them would be killed

Future generations will, I am convinced, have the greatest difncul^
in understanding Why, in this ensis, the Bntish Government beha%eo
as It did There could not have been imagmed a case of aggression
more unquestionable than the unprovoked attack by Italy on Abyssinia
The League of Nations was m no two nunds as to the merits Its com-
bined forces were amply strong enough to compel the submission 01
Mussolmi It was m the dear interests of the Bntish Empire to gatner
round jt the largest possible measure of world support for resistance
to temtonai conquest Yet Mussohm was allowed almost ununpeow
to achieve his ends, and thereby to stnkc a blow at the League ironi
which it never recovered , .

In the House of Commons, m public debate, and m the lobbies ^
smokmg rooms and other places where Members forgather. vanou>

bDtNBUKOlI M P jyy

JiwtUications were put forward for the Government's attitude It ux?
wtuspered that in December 1935 our ships in the Mediterranean were
not provided with any defence weapons against a possible sudden attack
Dy Italian aeroplanes It was argued that it was necessary to keep
>n step with France, and that M Laval had made it plain flat he
was not prepared to take any action which would upset Mussolini It
pomted out that, owing to their geographical situation, most of the
other members of the League could render little assistance to the common
fausc It was alleged that the United States would have refused if>
join m any embargo on oil supphes to Italy

Whatever truth there may have been in any or all of these c:<plana-
tions. It seems to me self-evident that the Government, if it had been
composed of resolute men, determined to organize and enforce the rule
of law of the League, could and would have found adequate means to
overcome the difhculties It follows from this that its failure to do so
must have sprung from deeper causes I am satisfied that the simple
fact Was that neither the Government nor the bulk of the Conservatives
m the House really believed in the principles of the League They
regarded it as a new-fangled and somewhat dangerous body whose help
they did not require, and which might easily drag them mto Quixotic
adventures which were much better not undertaken In their view the
Bntish Empire could defend itself For that its forces existed, and they
should be kept solely for that and for the defence of France For the
rest. Sir John Simon made it dear that the Government was not prepared
^to nsk a single ship or man on behalf of Abyssmian mdepcndcncc

Not all the Conservatives agreed with this point of view, and it was
violently opposed by the Labour Party and by most of the Liberals On
July 27, 1936, I was put up to state the Labour ease m a debate on
foreign affairs My mam contention was that members of the Govern-
ment were contmiung m the twentieth century to think m terms of the
nineteenth The coming of the aeroplane had completely changed the
island character of our country and the nature of war I proceeded

"Unless the pohey of the Government is sound, no massed jnight
of our own strength wail defend some ouU>ang part of the Bntish
Empire, attacked by an aggressor, or even our own shores There-
fore our position today is that we have not merely an academic and
platonic need to support pubhc nght m the world, but an immediate
personal selfish and Arcct need, because it is onl> through the support
of pubhc nght that we can hope to survive m the future If wc
fail to support other coimtncs when thc> are attacked by an aggressor
We shall not be able to complain if other countries fail to support us
wl^cn our turn comes ”

I concluded by refusing the appeal of the Foreign Secretary for trust
in the Government I said that we and the country had trusted the
Government at the General Election when they professed to stand for
collective secunty They had bctiajcd that trust and we were not
prepared now to renew it

All through these >cars. foreign affairs were a major prcoccucation
of the House of Commons, but naturally they did not take up the whol

19“ FATEHASBEENKtND

Of attention In Apnf 1936. Miss EUen Wiikmson, m the debate
on the Civil Service, introduced a motion in favour of giving the same
scales of pay to women as to men m the ‘common’ classes of the service,
m which they do identical work and are interchangeable I supported*
her in a speech in which I wound up the debate for the Labour Party
When It came to a division, several Oinservatives voted m favour of ^e
motion, and the Government sufiered defeat by a narrow majority But
Mr Baldwm refused to give way and insisted on having the decision
reversed on a vote of confidence

A httle later, m a debate on Dominion Affairs, I myself raised another
matter of considerable concern to women — the question of the effect of
marriage on their nationabty I reminded the Ifouse that durmg the
last war a g^eat deal of feeling had been aroused owmg to the fact that
many Bntish'bom women, who were entirely loyal to their native country,
had been treated as aliens because they were mamed to a foreigner,
while many foreign women who had mamed Britishers (sometimes only
formally and for the express purpose) escaped all supervision After
the war, the Government had refii^d to make any substantial change in
the law, alleging as their reason that, if they did so, Bntam would be out
of step with the Dominions and with foreign countnes But the law had
now been altered in U S A and several other places, and I asked that the
Government should bang the British code'mto line No response was
made to my plea

My position as principal financial spokesman for the Opposition
brought me up against Mr Neville Chamberlain, who was at that tune,
Chancellor of the Exchequer His Budget speeches presented a staking
contrast to those of Mr Winston Church In place of the
flights of ins predecessor, there was a precise statement of the position
Mr Chamberlain, m fact, approached this task, as mdeed he did that of
most political problems, from the standpoint of the plain business man
It was probably for that reason that he so unflinchingly, and as I thought
rightly, supported cheap money against any pressure brought upon him
in the opposite direction by the Bank of England In answenng cnti-
cism, he was rather too fond of makmg debating pomts and feignuig
Ignorance so as to trap me into makmg unpromptu explanations which he
knew would be too technical for the House of Commons to understand
Towards the end of his tenure of office, when he needed large sums for
rearmament, he did not hesitate to unbalance his Budget and borrow the
money . and when I reminded him that it was precisely for similar action
that he'hacl con'demneil fneTaDourTyovemmerit.’ne poulieh to a mdticii*
lous scheme he had prepared for repayment over thirty years I doubt
whether he hunself realized how hypothetical this repayment was, m
fact, of course, it never began to operate

King George V died in January J936 at a tune when Parliament
mrecess I was in Torquay andcamestraight back to London toattend
the emergency sittings of the House A day or two later, J1 P s
Peers all assembled m Westminster Hall to await the royal cortege
Presently the great doors facing Palace Yard were opened, and the bicr
was brought m Kmg Edward followed unostentatiously, as
wont having marched on foot all the way from the railway station nji
him came his brothers, hke himself, m civilian clothes I found tne

EDINBURGH M P lyl

sheer simpbcity of the scene far more moving than any elaborate pomp,
and much more in keeping with my own attitude towards death Next
day the general pubhc were admitted, and so long as the I>ing-in-statc
contmued great crowds came to pay their last tnbute, forming a queue
which Imed up all along Abmgdon Street, over Lambeth Bridge, and back
on the other side of the nver

After the fimeral, Parhament resumed its normal life, but the day
came when, according to custom, we were called upon to make fmancial
provision for the new reign, and a Select Committee on the Civil List
was set up, of which I and several of my Labour colleagues were made
members During the nineteenth century there had been considerable
anti monarchical feeling, particularly among the radicals of the day
Keir Hardie, without wholly subscribing to this sentiment, bad been
highly suspicious of Court mfluence, and cntical of the expeniture of so
much public money on the royal family while the unemplo>ed and the
aged Were left unprovided for But times had changed The social
services had come into being King George V had been a stnctly con-
stitutional monarch and had been punctilious m his dealings with the
Labour Party The new King had, as Pnnee of Wales, established many
fnendly contacts with quite humble people Thus there was m 1936 little
trace left of support for republicanism as a fonn of Government, and still
less of any antipathy to the persons of the Royal House Nevertheless
the financial problem remamed to be solved, and presented delicate and
difficult matters for consideration and adjustment

The money regulated by the Civil List paid out of the Exchequer
It provides the pnvy purse of the sovereign, payments to other members
of the royal family, upkeep of the royal peaces, and pensions given m
recognition of services to literature, art, and science It is fixed once and
for ^ at the beginning of each reign, though it may be modified at other
tunes if speaal circumstances arise It is interesting to recall that,
whereas a&ut a century ago it had stood at over a million pounds and
absorbed about 10 per cent of the total annual public revenue, by 1936
It had fallen to well below a miihon and absorbed only onc-tenth of one
per cent

In addition to his emoluments from the Civil List the ruling sov creign
has for many centuries enjoyed the income from the Duchy of Lancaster,*
an estate administered by a member of the Government, and the Pnnee
of WaJath,as sirojiij:lv'tu-!AV‘id.thftincome from the Duchy of CocawalL*
These estates, whose value has been greatly enhanced in recent years,
had figured m the debates in the House of Commons on the Civil List at
the accession of Edward VII, and again at that of George V,,the con-
tention bemg put forward that the income from them should be merged
m the public revenue m the same way as that from the Crown Lands On
both occasions this proposal had been rejected

Our Select Committee of 1936 made a stnkmg mnovation Seeing
that there was no Pnnee of Wales and that even if one were subsequently
to be bom it would be many years before he attained his majonty, it
recommended with the Kuig s consent, that, for the present, the income
from the Duchy of Cornwall should, after meeting certam charges be

• It must not be inferred from the nomenclature that the properties m
Situated in the counties which give their name to the respecUve estates.

qaesuoa are all

^92 FATE HAS BEE.N KIND

employed m relief of the burden on public funds of the Civil List as a
wnole It also increased the money available for the pensions in recog-
nition of semces to the arts In other respects it foUowGd traditional
lines in the House of Commons I spoke in support of these recom-
mendations, which Were earned

After the abdication of Hdward VIII and the accession of George VI,
I was again a member of the new Select Committee m 1937 on the Civil
List The same plan was adopted with regard to the Duchy of Cornwall,
but provision was made for Princess Elizabeth and her eventual
marriage In the Committee, and subsequently in the House of Commons,
the Labour Party put forward a proposal that an inquiry should take
place as t o the possibihty of simplification of the royal regime In moving
the amendment embodying thi proposal I pointed out that our object
was not to save a few pounds, but to free the sovereign from excessi\e
convention and to enable him to mingle freely with all his subjects with-
out any artificial barners of wealth and clothing I further suggested
that Princess Elizabeth should have the same opportunity as her
male forbears of completing hereducationmone of the great Universities
Our amendment was rejected

Dunng those years I scarcely ever nussed a meeting of the Executive
of the Parliamentary Labour Party I regarded this as ray most impor-
tant political work, more so than my speeches m the Chamber or roy votes
m the division lobby ' For m our dehberations wc were engaged in
forming the pohey of the Party and mfluencing that of the nation itself
As the Shadow Cabmet', we were informed in advance of many Govern-
ment decisions and we were sometimes consulted t^forc decisions ivcre
taken I recall, in particular, one occasion when the Govenunent had in
contemplation a constitutional proposal, cutting across Party lines, and
we were asked our view with regard to it We expressed our dislike of
the method which the Government were profiosing, and suggested an
entirely different solution of the difficulty In the result, it was our
scheme that the Government introduced to the House and earned into
law

On the occasion of the King’s coronation I was made a member 01 the
Pnvy Council This body is part of the anaent constitution of the
country, and is nominally, under the sovereign, the ultunate seat of both
executive and judicial authonty In practice it has delegated tbe^
functions to two subcommittees of itself 'The Judicial Committee of the
_Pnvv Council is the final Court of Ajtpeal on constitutional questions^
The Cabmet is the subcommittee which exercises executive power,

It follows as a corollary that every memberof the Cabmet must first be a
member of the Pnvy Counal, Pnvy Counallors who are not members of
either of these committees have no speaal duties to perfonn. but 1/ they
are also Members of Parliament they have certain nghts of pnonty m the
House of Commons Apart from this, as they are all sworn to secrecy on
admission, they forai m a sense a fraternity of elder statesmen vvho may
be informed and consulted on matters of high pohey I regard it as a
ureat privilege to belong to this body

The new reign saw also a new Prime Munster After the coronauon,

Mr BaJdwm earned out his intention of relinquishing this office, which
he liad held with intervals ever since the retirement of Mr Bonar Law m

CH\PTER \\

TtlE WORLD IN AKMb

The Spanish war — Non intervention — Covcniincnt polic> — Rcsifpution nf \nfJ onj

Eden — Invasion ol Austria — \ speech on national unity— C^echn-SIov iku

Berchtesgaden and Munich — Chamberlains reactions — Lonvcription — A tight
to Geneva— The outbreak o£ hostilities — The phoney war — Itcsignatiun ol
Chamberlain — The Coalition — Lees Smith is Chairman— The houH-hnld
means test— Public Accounts Committc©— Leader of the Opposition— The
Battle of Britain— New -vllic^—The world alter the war ‘

The Spanish civil war followed close on the conquest of Ab>'ssinia b>
Alussohni ajid led up to Hitler s attack on the countries of turojH? It
fonned, in fact, one link in a chain of world events, and there is little
doubt, m my mind, that it was so regarded and so intended by the Axis
^wers But there is no indication that either Mr Baldwin, who was
Pnme Minister at its outbreak, or Mr Chamberlain, who shoftI> after-
wards succeeded him, saw m it anything other than an isolated pheno-
nienon of merely local significance

It has always seemed to me that only four consistent courses of action ^
were open to them in dealing with it They could have espoused the
Cause of the constitutionally elected Government of Spam and helped it
^ suppress the internal rebellion and beat off the invasion oi the floors
Even if they had themselves favoured this course I do not imagine that
their Conservative followers, whose sympathies were mamly with hranco.
Would have allowed them to pursue it Secondly, they could hav e ojxrnly
supported the rebels but this would have outraged Bntish popular
feeling Thirdly, they could have insisted that the Spaniards should bo
left to fight It out among themselves without outside intervention, and
kept the nng to see that this was the case Lastly, they could have
declared their intention to remain entirely aloof frem the struggle and to
allow any other Power to take what action it liked without Bntish inter-
ference

The course which they actually pursued was, in my opmion, more
damaging to Bntish prestige* abroad than any of these It was to pro-
claim pubhclv Its adherence to the third alternative, that is to say universal

nonintervention, and to put into practice the fourth alternative

unilateral non intervention It contrived to rcc« ncilc these confljctin"

•I should, of c»urse, have been suU mwe I ittwly ipooBfU to si-ppcrt bejizastr, .u

tebels. But such a course would have bem at least intcUisibie and ccosiilrnt ^ W t..e

^94 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

policies by turning a blind eye to events which were matters of common
knowledge A council of Great Powers was set up consisting of repre-
sentatives of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union
The avowed object of this council was to enforce noa-mtervention all
round, but its rules were so framed as to prevent any case of intervention
from being formally brought to its notice In this way, Mussolini and
Hitler were allowed with impunity to send considerable armed remforce-
ments to Franco, and Stalin to send some aeroplanes to aid the Spanish
Government Even when British merchant ships were being sunk by
Italian action, only feeble protests were made

Labour sympathies were alrnost wholly with the Spanish Govern*
ment , and, left to itself the Party would probably have advocated a policy
of what has since come to be known as ‘non-belligerency' — that is to say,
active support short of the dispatch of armed forces But the difficulty
was that M Blum, the head of the Popular Fronf Government in France,
had at the outset declared in favour of non-intervention, and m pursuance
of it had refused to supply arms to the Spanish Government It seemed
to most of us that the Socialist Party m Britain could not very well
advocate, as an Opposition what the ^ciahst Party m France m power
was not putting into practice It is true that we were approached by
certam French deputies, who represented to us that M. Blum's policy
had been adopted under pressure from the British Government, but the
facts they adduced to substantiate this did not appear to us wholly
convmcmg We therefore confined ourselves m the earUer stages of the
struggle to trying to get our Government to carry out m practice its own
avowed policy Later, a more positive Ime was adopted

As the Spanish civil war proceeded. Hitler and MussoUni made less
and less attempt to cover up their increasing assistance to Franco with
the pretence that it was afforded by ‘volunteers’ and not officially spon-
sored by their respective Governments Consequently, it became more
and more difficult for the British Government to ignore their activities
The Labour Party in ParUament continually pressed it to bring the real
facts before the international Council and to msist on the strict fulfilment
by Mussolini of his promise to conform to non-intervention We were met
by taunts from the Conservative benches that we were seeking to embroil
our country in war The Government, it was said, was pursuing the only
safe path, and as such it merited the support of all those who had the
interests of peace at heart

In my mind this Conservative argument did not ring true 1 aid noc

that if ever direct Bntish interests were threatened they would not hesi-
tate to defend them, if necessary by armed force I was convinced that
the course they were now pursmng was not calculated to preserve pcaw
for any length of time On the contrary, by running aw ay from a straight
issue they were bringing Bntish prestige into contempt and encouraging
the buUy and the aggressor to think that Bntam would never fight t
saw war drawing nearer every day to ourown country, and it seemed ro
me that our ‘govemmg classes' were quite bUnd to v?hat was taking

^^U*p to 1936 the Labour Party had given expression to »ts opj^ti^
to the Government's foreign policy by voting against the benw

THE WORLD IN ARMS jq-

not m

made manv nfihS we pomted out, in fact, that we had

P pronouncements against this pohcy We exorcsslv
fJr'th.f ‘ "T ‘° P™"'*' forces as were reqmred

^ was r a system of eoU?c Sy

cniiiri ^ opmion, m which the peace of the world

Muld be mamtamed and adequate defence provided for BnlmnUself

hade th?Honi"„f throughout the seven seas

as to ourltht,^^^ ^ Conmons there was no genume misunderstandmg
S F.t™ * known principle that 'a vote against

“ Se “Portion of the Semce concerned, but J

But onkirP^n ‘k" “ ‘Xo Ppkey of which the Estimate is the expression’
moL «nom ?hr T° °/ “> “nntiy, and, what was stiU

In ioi?^hr' we foimd that our action was bemg misrepresented

the pS?? T mcreasmgly grave mtemational situation,

Selv^^i,^ P'“^,“'= ® different foim of procedure les^

and ^ * tn* “nsunderstood We moved a ‘token’ reduction of the vote
“^aUenged by the Party as a whole Of
mainntn iTn® whole of this penod the Government with its huge
frei tn!^^ control of the fightmg services, and was

STwffi deaded “ '' 5 “P“'”'’ P”Xcy

^ members of the Conservative Party, however, cave
tw? Government One or

^v^rnZ . of AthoU, definitely sympathized with the Spanish

in» ^ larger number on other grounds were in favour ofstand-

aI*^ ,*"® pnnciple of all round non intervention m Spam Mr
^hony Eden, the Foreign Secretary himself showed unmistakable
ot impatience at Mussolini s continued subterfuges and Drevan
cations When therefore, m February 1938, Mr Chamberlain proposed
Afr deal With the Duce mvolving further concessions by Bntain

r ,bden made it clear that he could not be a party to any such arranpe-
ments at a time when previous commitments by Mussohni remamed
nnonoured Mr Chamberlain, however, persisted, and both Mr Eden
Hci.f Cr^bome, the Under-Foreign Secretary, resigned, and Lord
n^ax and Mr Butler were appointed to take their places In th#.
debate which followed m the House of Commons a definite cleavaee bepan
to show Itself m the ranks of the Government supporters, and the

^ country when a Prime Minister

got nd of his Foreign Secretary to placate a foreign statesman

Meanwhile, from a shghtly different angle. Mr Winston Churchill hari
Deen, for some time past, a constant cntic of the Government Hic mo.
theme was the rearmament of Germany Rismg from'his place on”S^

M (“n gangway, he had on several occasions pven

^ to what was gomg on m that country, and challenged the Govpmm
to ^pute his facts or to take adequate steps to meet them Ha
ated the prmciple that a beaten foe ought not to be allowed to rpa™
at any rate, it had been reconciled to the settlement At tfiA
figures were disputed, but afterwards it was acknowledged that th^^* ^

: money for the fighting services.

^9^ FATEHASBEENKIND

actually^ undcrestunate The Govenmient floated a ‘defence loan’ and
professed to be taking all the steps necessary to put the country into a
state of preparedness

In the summer of 1937, a group of Members of Parhament of all
partws accepted an invitation to visit Paris as the guests of members of
the French Chamber I formed one of the group and attended all the
principal functions, but I had to hurry back to be present m the House of
Commons to take part m some special financial discussions However,
even m the thirty six hours that X was there, I formed impressions of a
highly disquietmf^ nature Men and women belonging to the parties of
the Right , with whom I came m contact, spoke openly to me m praise
of WussoJuM and his system 0/ Government, and many of them left no
doubt in my mind of their sympathy with Hitler Of course I had known,
for a long time, that somewhat similar sentiments existed among a certain
section of my own countrymen and coimtrywomen, but I gathered that
they u ere far more widely felt in France Subsequent events fully justified
my misgivmgs

On hlarch 10. 1938 Huler invaded and overran Austria This was
the aetord. breach m the Treaty of Veisafiles, for he had rearmed the
Rhineland some time previously It was recognized that, one by one,
he was implementing the stages of German reconquest that he had set
before himself in Meta Katnpf Many people thought be would go on at
once to attack Czecho-Slovakia, and when he did not do so, they thought
the cn^is was over But mj fnends and I saw clearly that it was only
postponed We therefore once more urged on the Government the need to
take a firm stand, and to rally the forces that could still be counted on to
resist aggression, before they one by one been reduced to submission
But the Government did nothmgexcept to make an equivocal declaration
with regard to Czecho Slovakia and to get from Mussolini a promise that
he would withdraw his troops from Spam when Franco had been enabled
to win the civil war

On Apnl 27 1 spoke in the House of Commons on the Budget and took
occasion to deal with the international outlook and to express the view of
myself and my Party m the following words

I say to the Government — and this is a question which is b^g
asked not merely in this House but throughout the country as a whole
— where are you going, where arc you leading your country and your
countrymen at the present time, where ore you leading Europe and
the world^ You are asking from the people of this country unprcM-
dented sacrifices You are calling for unity The question is. lor
what are you asking for this unity and these sacrifices? You say vou
are out for appeasement and reconciliation For any real rcconc^*
tion in Europe, Hot only we on these benches and the people for wnom
we speak, but every man and woman m tfus country, devoutly pray

In fact any Government which genuinely sought real rcconc^ation couW,

I said, count upon the whole hearted support of the people of *hc county
I then asked what was the actual rcoird of the Govermnent an
policy which It was pursuing After a bntf reference to Ireland, t tum
to the continent of Europe and proceeded

THE WORLD IN ARMS

yielding to autarchy and force what you
re^d to give to justice and democracy, and you are domg this partly
bemuse an ignorant section of your followers erroneously beheve that
undtt a regrnie such as that in Germany, their class has a better

jwsition than under our own democratic constitution In Spam you

threw away democracy and freedom when you allowed non mte^en-
tion to become a farce With Italy, you are throwmg to the wolves
two free countn^, only bargammg that when the second victim has
been kiUed and dismembered it shall not afterwards be eaten by its
a^esMrs I am tempted to ask what form your appeasement will
take when there are no more weak nations to be flung to the wolves? "

My final words were these

"If you want unity you must stand for the thmgs for which the
great heart of our people beats, for liberty, for justice, for democracy
lor the rule of law among nations But you prefer to be leadere of a
faction To us it seems that you are asking sacrifices not for the
thmgs for which unity could be obtamed, but for the tnumph of
aggression, for the suppression of democracy, for the plantmg of the
sw^tika m Central Europe and m the Pyrenees, and of Gen^ and
Italian guns on the shores of the Mediterranean If it is for these
objects that you look for umty, you will look m vain "

r 0 ^ 1938 Mr Chamberlam sent Lord Runciman to

t^cho-Slovaku to mvestigate the grievances of the Sudeten Germans
^d to report on the possibihties of a peaceful solution The Labour
rarty was m touch at the time with both Czech and German workers
area, and we knew that the situation was a dehcate and
^mcult one It had been so ever smce the Treaty of Versailles had
dra^ the frontiers m such a way that there was a large German nunontv
^ide Czecho-Slovakia I had myself discussed the matter with Dr
Benes when I saw him for the first time m 1923 But our mformation
was that, granted certam concessions m autonomy which Dr Benes was
prepared to concede, the German workers preferred to remam as they
Were, rather than to come mto the German Reich and be subject to the
iron disciplme of Nazi rule Lord Runciman, however, did not make
juany contacts with workmg class opinion, and he reported that he saw
uttle prospect of Czechs and Germans settlmg down together

As the year proceeded it became quite evident that Hitler mtended
to inflame feelmg m Sudetenland to a pomt at which he could reDrp<:pnf
invasion of Czecho-Slovakia as an act of hberation The question arosp
as to what the French Government would do m those circumstancpc
what would be the attitude of Britain France was boimd bv tr^af^r
support the Czechs if they were mvaded and Great Bntain was honm
ably comimtted to support France if she were attacked Hnw
these obhgations to be mterpreted if Hitler acted m the wav
expected? was

^ The question was never directly answered for, just whf>n *1,
seemed unmment Mr Neville Chamberlam got mto an a^mwi ^ crash
paid a visit to Hitler at Berchtesgaden Ihis unconventional

^9^ FATE HAS BEEN KIND

cedented action called for great courage and initiative, and for those
qualities I pay it my tribute of admiration But courage m a statesman
is not enough He must also show wisdom and judgment In these
Mr Chamberlam was smgularly lacking He took no expert advisers
with him, zind he allowed Hitler to dominate his mentality In a word
he supped with the devil with a short spoon

On his return to England with Hitkr s terms, he set about discussing
them with the French and forcing them down the throats of the Czechs
and he was soon off agam to Hitler to acquamt him of their acceptance
Hitler was evidently taken aback Apparently he had no wi^ for a
peaceful settlement and he accordmgly raised his terms Mr Chamber
lam to his credit, refused to accept these alterations and returned to
England and in a broadcast to the Bntish people stood his ground
Feverish twelfth hour preparations were begim all over the country to get
ready for war

It was at this juncture that on September 28 Parliament was called
together I lunched with Mr Qynes before the sitting began and we
agreed on the sombre estimate that there was not one chance m ten that
war would be averted The Labour Parliamentary Executive met and
wedeadedon the hue our speakers would take m the forthcoming debate
Then we entered the Chamber, and took our places Every seat was
filled every passage and comer of the fioor and gallenes were ocevpied.
Lord Baldwin and the Archbishop of Canterbury looked down upon us
from the F^ces allotted to the Peers. My wife was in the strangers
gallery ‘The Prime Mmister rose and gave an objective account of
what he had done He concluded by tclhng us that there was still one
chance left of preserving peace He bad asked Mussolim to use his
influence with Hitler to suspend hosUhtics for a few hours and to arrange
a further meeting between them which should include the Itahan states
jnnTi himself and a French Muiislcr To this request he had so far had no
reply ^

As he said these words a paper was passed along the front Go%cm
ment bench and handed up to him He read it and announced that toe
mtervcntion of Mussolini had been successful his request had bccii
granted He then said that he proposed to leave the House immediately
to prepare for his journey The greatest excitement prevailed Mcm^is
stood up and waved their order papers and chared Distinguiaico
strangers m the galicncs broke all tlic rules and stamped with their
feet and banged their umbrellas on Oie floor Mr Chamberlain left the
Chamber with cncs o\ good wis'ncs on e\ ery side

THE WORLD IN ARMS jgg

f P“P=J perpetual peace with Bntain, he was

nailed as a saviour of the country

I have often been asked since what m my view were Mr Chamber-
lam s own reactions to the Munich settlement Did he genuinely beheve
he was secu^g pennanent peace? Or was he merely buymff time for
reaimamenl ? My answer is that he approached the whole question from
the pomt of view of a busmess man He, as the head of one big film the
British bmpire, was out to do a deal with the head of another powerful
him, the German Reich As he saw it, it was regrettable, but not unpor-
tant If, m mvmg at a settlement, a lesser firm like Czecho-SIoi altia went
to the wall Gentlemen’s agreements between big busmess men were
gewrally kept, particularly when they were to the advantage of both
parties For that reason Hitler would probably keep his word, but if he
tailed to do so, he had been at least mduced to allow his nval's firm a
period of grace m which to prepare for the ensuing conflict

The Munich settlement divided the country mto two camps and the
aeavage went through the ranks of the Conservative Party m the House of
Commons Jlembers of the smaller section, who opposed it, drew nearer
to ^ in their foreign outlook Some of them shared our view that the
nght time to have conciliated Germany was when she was bemg governed
by moderate statesmen, and that the failure of Bnlain and France to
this course was largely responsible for the nse of Hitler to power.
Others thought that the restrictions on Germany should throughout have*
been more ngidly applied But we were all agreed that to try to appease
Hitler now by letting him take what he wanted, a piece at a time, was not
only the surest step towards war, but would depnve us, when it came, of
moral and strategic support and leave us to fight the battle alone.
Opposed to us was the great majonty of the Conservative Party who
gave imqualified support to Mr Chamberlam's action

The sprmg of 1939 saw the German Array ra Prague, contrary to the
exphcit promises of Hitler at Munich T *h>nk Mr. Chamberlain realized
then that he had been fooled, but it did not change his view that the
course he had adopted had presented at the time the only hope of keepmg
the country out of war Nevertheless, he was not prepared to repeat the
same tactics with regard to Poland, which was the next victim marked
out for attack Accordmgly, wth the support of the Labour Opposition
and with the agreement of the French Government, he made an explicit
statement that in the event of unprovoked aggression on Poland, Bmam
and France would go immediately to her aid It was only after takme
this irrevocable step that he made senous attempts to woo the Soviet
Umon, whose Government he had consistently cold-shouldered durir
his whole term of office It is perhaps not altogether sumnsinsr tha*
twelfth-hour courtslup failed of its purpose

Meanwhile the foreign situation was reflected m domestic pohev Th
Government mtroduced into Parliament a Conscnption Bill and a D /

Budget In view of the imminence of war, I came to the condusin^

I could not honestly oppose either, and that to abstain would
shirking responsiblity I therefore agreed with the view of “Merely
of the Labour Party and voted m favour of both measures R
former, I actively supported provisioiis to safeguard thp
conscientious objectors, and on the latter I propoiuided a sch^^^f*^

200

FATE HAS BEEH KIND

^nual on wealth as a counterpart to the demands bcine made on
human life

My wife had accepted an m\itation to go to Geneva m the middle of
August to open an International House for tlic World Woman’s Party,
and I had arranged to accompany her Hut. as the day drew near and the
clouds on the horuon became ever more threatening, we discussed together
whether it would be nght for us to be absent from the country at this
cntical moment I consulted Arthur Greenwood, who was then acting
as Leader of the Opposition during the temporary indisposition of Clem
Attfee, ^<J at hiS saggestton rang him up on the night before our depar-
ture He then told me that it was unlikely that war would break out
within a week, and as our places for the return journey in an aeroplane
were booked for August 2^ we decided to cany through the engagement
The ceremony was a bnlhant one and it was a heartenmg expe^nce to
meet women from all 01 er the world, on this, the last opportunity tliat
we were likely to have for several years to come The day after we got
back, the treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union was announced ,
and the stage was set for the grave events which everyone knew were not
likely now to be long delayed

When Parliament met a few days later the German invasion of Poland
had already begun The Prune Minister made a statement which gave
the unprcssion of hesitancy m fulfilling the pledge of Britain and France
to go to the immediate aid of Poland But the House of Commons was
not prepared io tolerate delay, still less anything m the nature of another
'Munich' settlement Its temper was shown when Arthur Greenwood,
who was sitting next to me on the Front Opposition Bench, rose and said
that the honour of the country demanded immediate action * Speak for
England,” cned out one of the Conservative Members, supporting his
protest The House decided to meet in the morning of the following day,
bunday, September 3 But before the actual hour came for the sitting
to begm, Mr Charaberlam m a broadcast to the nation announced that an
ultimatum had been sent to Hitler to expire that mommg at eleven
o'clock Big Ben thei^ struck, and we knew that we were at war with
Germany

Almost immediately there was an air- raid alarm and everyone went
do\vn into the shelter in the basement of the House of Commons It
seemed, at the time, a dramatic opening of the struggle, but in fact it
was only due to the presence several miles away of an unidentihed aero-
plane • The ‘All Clear signal was soon given We then met and earned
through rapidly a number of emergency measures In the afternoon 1
rang up my wife, ivho was at our country home I found her reactions
identical with my own Both of us though Ufe long pacifists detesting
war and its hideous concomitants and realizing the unmensity of the
struggle on which the coimtry was embarking, were conscious of a sense ot
profound relief For we knew m our hearts that there were things woi^
even than war, and that one of these would have been for our country to
break its plighted word and betray a sister nation which had trusted to
Its fulfilment ^

• It was not till manv months afterwards that bomte were actuaUf ^pped 0“
of the bS IsS and it was Uter stiU before the Chamber of the House of Coaimous
was Itself destroyed '

201

THE WORLD IN ARMS

Nevertheless, owing to geography, the only help that could be given
to the Poles was indirect, and a few weeks sufficed for the Germans to
overrun their country There followed, during the winter mentis of
^939“40, the penod of what was called the phoney' war. when there was
little actual fightmg except on the sea Jly own constitutents were, I
uimk, the first civilians to come imder fire Among them were the Lord
Provost of Edmburgh and a local woman doctor, &)th had their houses
penetrated by bullets which had been aimed at German aeroplanes flying
low over the Firth of Forth to attack Rosyth But httle else took place
on land, and people began to ask when the war was really gomg to begm
It was then that Mr Chamberlam gave utterance to a remark which,
tofortimately for him, will go down to history He declared that Hitler
tod ‘missed the bus’ and that a victory for the Allies was now assured
Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when events happened with
startling rapidity Hitler seized Demnark and Norway, and proceeded
to strike hghtnmg blows at Holland, Be^um, and France That sealed
Mr Chamberlam 's fate as Prune Munster He found himself faced with
substantial defection m the ranks of his own Party He made an attempt
to reconstruct his Government by mcludmg members of other parties
But Labour refused, as it had done before at the outbreak of war, to serve
toder him, and he was compelled to yield his place to Mr Winston
Churchill A Coalition Government was formed m which Labour's
Parliamentary leaders occupied important positions
/'It so happened that during these fateful days m May 1940 the annual
conference of the Labour Party was meeting at Bournemouth, and
endorsement of the decision to support the new Government and to serve
under Churchill was sought and obtamed On my way there I turned
over m my mind the likely course of events as it affected myself and my
fnends in the Labour Party I realized that while the choice of the
personnel of the Government was a matter for the Pnme Mmister, one
very important position lay outside his province, and was open for us to
fill That was the post of spokesman lor the non-official members of the
House of Commons

In normal times of Party Government the Leader of the Opposition
has certain well defined fimctions to perform He is the head of the
‘Shadow Cabinet' He decides the ime that the Opposition Party will take
on all matters of major importance He selects the subjects for the twenty
'supply' days each session when the administrative acts of the Ministry
are called in question It rests with him to voice the views of pnvate
members of all parties in contradisUnction to that of the Government
Naturally he exercises these functions ‘constitutionally’, that is to say, he
acts in accordance with what he believes to be the general wish of his
Party or of the House To enable hun to perform these duties efficiently
and to give his whole time to the job, he is provided with a special room
of his own in immediate proximity to the Chamber, and is even given a
salary from public funds

In the pecuhar circumstances of an All Party Government there '
Would, I saw, be no Opposition in the technical sense but manv of tho
functions of the Leader of the Opposition would still have to be r^r
formed In particular, someone would regularly have to put the fom t
I question regardmg future busmess. and I foresaw that the mr^n who d

202 FATE HAS BEEN KIND

that question on the first sitting day after Parhament reassembled would
wntmue to ask it thereafter, and would by tacit consent be accepted to
^ the post Moreover, as the composition of the Government would still
be mainly Conservative with a Conservative Prune Minister at its head, it
«• seemed only reasonable that it should be a I-abour man who should speak
for the rest of the House ^

I accordingly pressed the matter on the attention of the members of
the Parliamentary labour Party who were at Bournemouth, and at my
suggestion Lees-Smith was selected He proceeded at once to London,
discussed matters with the Speaker, and on \Vhjt Monday, when the
House met, occupied the central seat on the Opposition Front Bench
facing the Prime Mmister and asked the busmess question. From that
tune onwards he continued to act m this capacity But lit was agreed
that, in the special circumstances, the salary attaching to the position of
Leader of the Opposition should be in abe^anie

Unofficially, I became hts deputy-and confidant He and I shared
the view that, in the altered arcumstances a new technique was required
for the Labour Party in its dealmgs with the Government Whereas, as a
Party m opposition, it could express its disapproval only a/Z^r iht event by
cntiasm and a hostile vote, now, as a Parly supporting the Government,
it had the right to exert pressuj^, before the event and to have its views
respected and, within certain limits implemented by action

In pursuance of this policy, I took an active part on behalf of my
Party in negotiatmg with the Government for the removal of the house
hold means test, and I further secured substantial alterations m the
Purchase Tax and War Damage Bill At the same tune, 1 had been
appomted Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, and m that
capaaty 1 bad the duty of examining the permanent heads of ail the
Mmistries as to their a dmin istration of their offices during the preceding
year In the exercise of these two functions I obtamed an msight mto
the inner working of the Parliamentary machme such as I had never had
before, not even when I was myself a member of the Government,.

In November 1941, to my great gnef, my fnend and leader, Bertie
Lees-Smith, fell a victim to the after-effects of influenza, and his place as
chairman of the Party became vacant In the selection of his successor,
my colleagues of the Parhamentary Labour Party did me the honour of
choosing me, unanitnously, exhibiting thereby a mark of their confidence
which i highly appreaated This meant that I presided at all meetuigs
of the Party m the House and that I became the virtual Leader of the
Opposition, sitting opposite the Prime Minister m the Chamber and
following him m debate I contmued to hold this position until Art^r
Greenwood left the Cabmet, when he automatically* resumed it The
Party then created the office of Vice-Chairman and elected me to fiU it
Shortly after this I was appointed by Royal Warrant to be a trustee ot
the National Library qf Scotland

In the greater world, the formation of the Coahtion Government had

THE WORLD IN ARMS 203

synchronized with an immense extension of the war m which the ruthless
might of the German machme was exhibited to the uttermost Dutch
and Belgian aties were pounded to dust, and their armies m the field
annihilated Pans was taken and P^tam signed an armistice with Hitler
The Bntish Expeditionary Force, by a miracle of courage and mdividoal
resource, was evacuated from Dunkirk, but its equipment was left behind
Bntam and her Commonwealth remamed alone and almost unarmed
Churchill expressed the obstmate detennination of the Bntish people
magnificently, but strangely enough, in the House of Commons, the
principal cheers for him came from the Labour benches Many of the
Tones could not forget that he had replaced their leader, Mr Chamberlam,
in the Premiership Then the ‘Battle of Bntam' began, and bombs
ramed down on London and the great provmcial aties Even country
distncts were attacked, and my own garden m Surrey received a ‘Molotov
bread basket'

I watched with ever-growing admiration the response of the Bntish
people to the immment peril of death or mjuiy by enemy action There
Was httle sign of fear and none of panic There was even a sense of exul-
tation that we, the avilians were for once m the front Ime with our
soldiers, sailors, and airmen One of my secretanes was up all one night
With a bomb m her tmy garden, the wmdows of her house shattered and
debns lying all about She arnved at my office next morning, smartly
dressed, to do her day s work Another day she came, pale but not
agitated, and asked if she might sit qmetly for a few minutts before
starting, she told me how, as she was walking on her way, a bomb had
fallen on an omnibus shortly in front of her and she had seen the dead
and wounded earned out from its remains Such stones were common in
those days and will remain the hentage of the race!

Since then, the tide of battle has ebbed and flowed By her wanton
mvasion of Russia in June 1941, Gennany brought us a new ally who has
gallantly held her own, and who has linked her fate with ours m a treaty
covering both the war and the reconstruction Again, as a result of the
treacherous attack by Japan in the following December, the United
States and many other countnes of North and South America, as well as
Chma, have become our partners m the common struggle They too wiU
help us to build the new world With such comrades who can doubt the
certainty of ultimate victory^

Nevertheless no one can forecast the day or the manner of the end
It can come only wth the complete defeat of Hitler and the overthrow of
the entire Nazi regime But unless the whole of Central Europe is to
disintegrate into chaos, some stable Goveniment m Germany will have to
be called mto being, with which peace can be made and which can be
charged with the German side of pving effect to it Such a peace must
not be based on emotion, but on a sober sense of reahty and a wise regard
for the future It must secure to Germans, m common with men of other
races, an adequately full life and a legitimate outlet for the use of their
creative faculties in the service of their fellows But at the same time it
must place outside their reach the power, if ever tempted by some new
Hitler they should ha\ e the nviII, to plunge humanity into another bath of
blood

With the end of the war and the establishment of peace the world will

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

enter on a new era Cone wli be the old iandmarks of physical and
gnomic l^taUon Man today can see and hear across great distances
^ capaaty to produce has become almost

unlimited No physical obstacle stands m fiie way of securing to every
member of the human family a complete and satisfymg life Will he
elect to enter into his kingdom? If so. he must lay aside his prejudice
and greed and his lust of domination, and co-operate with his kUows in
the furtherance of the common weal

chapter XXI

MV THILOSOPHV

If I iiave hJtered mom or less
la my great task of bappmess
If I have moved among my rare
And shown no glonons monung face
If beams from uppy human eyes
Have moved me not if morning slues
Books and my food aiui summer ram
Knocked on my sullen heart m vain
Lsrd thy most pomted pleasure take
And stab my spmC broad awake
Or Lord if too obdurate I
Choose thou be/ore that spint die
A pierung pam a killing sin
And to my dead heart run them in>

— RosBRr Louis Stsvbnsok

Enlargement of personality— lotegiatioa of self — Control of thought>-'Joy and
sorrow — Failure — The uorld atXHind us— Bamers of sex class race and age—
Sex characteristics— A difference of approach — Class complexes — Internationai
strife— Young and old — 'The greater life— Rigid principles — ^The natural law
— Karma and Forgiveness of sm — Light on the path

If I were asked to stun up m a single phrase the mam objective of mdi
vidual life, I would express it as the enlargement of personality By this
I do not mean that the individual should dehberately concentrate his
energies on his own expansion He should open out naturally almost
unconsciously m response to the demands made upon him Therf all the
forces of life will play upon his personality, all experience all activity all
human relationship all spmtu^ aspiration will conspire to bring about
Ais gwwtA *

Each one of us is a composite fragment of the Great Life Within
ourselves are diverse and divergent passions unexplored instincts latent
powers and strange mhibitions Some of these are part of our ancestral
hentage, some are denved from our environment in early and forgotten
childhood others are the result of more recent and remembered expen
ences It should surely be part of our education to leam to harmonize

• In the UtUe book Usht on ikt Paik to wh ch reference has already been made in
ter Xn MC writes Grow as the flower grows ^onsciously but

open Its soul to the aw- So must you press freward to open your soul to the Btero^

It m^t be the Eternal that draws forth your strength and beauty not desire fw frowlb

one ^ del elop m the lujuaaare of piroty la the other j-ou harden by the
forcible passion i<K personal stature

MY PHILOSOPHY _0j,

these wamng elements withm ourselves and to integrate our pcrsonalitj
This IS no easy task But the rudiments of it could be taught to children
in simple language and in after years it should be continuously striven
after For only so can we present a single front to the external world and
conduct ourselves consistently m reponsc to the stimulus of outside
events

We are frequently puzzled to account for our tliou^hts win h come to
us We know not whence, and may lead us we know not whither \\i
cannot by ourwiU altogether control them and we should probably be tlie
poorer if we could For many of them arc noble and sublime and extend
the horizons of our mental and spiritual vision Byt some are cUarly
recognizable as sordid and ugly while others appear to be mere vs ill o
the wisps which dance before us and would lead us if we followed them
into a morass of unedifyuig indeasion What is within our powir is to
select those thoughts which we \soll harbour and to refuse admitt ince t >
the rest This is what all the great religious teachers ln\e impresacil
upon us bidding us remember that only out of right thought can n^jlit
action spnng Many of our failures today originate in our disrcganl
of this fundamental truth

It IS customary for us to denote experiences which give us pleasure
as good and those which cause us pain as ill Sometimes Wi arc tvtn
told to regard the latter as punishment for our misdeeds But I venture
to call in question this classification All of them are our teachers fn m
whom we have much to learn and wc cannot evaluate tJic benefit they
confer upon us by the extent of the pleasure we derive from them at the
tune Joy is indulgent like the sunshine in the spnng ind ennehts us by
Its warmth and encouragement Sorrow is sUm hkt the fn at in winter
It breaks up our soil and prepares us for new birth looking ovtr inv life
I realize how much poorer 1 should be if my ptnods of sufltnng and dis
appointment had jt occurred

Neverthelesa I hold with Robert Louis Stevenson vvhose challenging
words I have quoted at the head of this chapter that it is one of our
imperative tasks to cultivate that gentle cquipoiat of being which wt call
happmess We owe this not only to ourselves but to all those with whom
we come m contact for happiness engenders happiness The rhythm
of hfe the contemplation of beauty the interplay of human relation
ships the comprehension of spintuJ truth — all these should provide us.
With ample source of rejoicmg and satisfaction Then if gnef comes it
will find us With a reserve of strength and serenity to enable us to last out
the period of storm and stnfe

Of all the many things which cause us distress the hardest to meet and
overcome are those which spnng not from external mischance but from
our own failure There is something to me almost unbearable m the
thought that the record on the scroll of hfe once wntten can never l>c
expunged 1 have found in such casts only one means of tbcapc from
despondency That is to build up out of failure a greater good It
useless to imagine that we can evade the consequences of our nu^takes
But we may still be the gainers if we derive from them a wider compre
hension of ourselves of others and of the outside world and from such
comprehension fruitful aetioxi will spnng

2o6

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

Our earliest experiences inform us that we do not exist in the world
alone, and, as we grow up, we are astounded to find how closely other
dwellers in it resemble ourselves They are moved by similar instincts
and passions, they think stm^ thoughts, they even chensh similar
aspirations When therefore daily life bnngs us in contact with our
fellows, we begin first shyly, and then with growing confidence, to mingie
our being with theirs and thereby unconsciously to enlarge bur own
personahty There are an infinite vanety of ways m which this comes
about, and no two human beings have identical expenences Love,
marriage, parenthood, friendship, association m work and play, are
common opportunities which are presented to the great majority of man-
kind, and of which they take advantage m differing degrees

It remains true, however, that there are many barriers which tend to
segregate human bemgs info separate and conflicting camps The mutual
attractiveness of men and women for one another is tinged with fear, and
even with a degree of hostihty Divergent class mterests create jealousy
and suspicion Racial antipathy engenders hatreds that result m war
The impatient enthusiasm of youth &ids its progress blocked by th^ dis-
illusionment of age Differing religious allegiances breed m the hearts of
men exclusiveness and intolerance Yet I venture to assert that, unless

an mdividual can transcend the limits of sex, class, race, age and creed,
his personahty remains of necessity to that extefit mcomplete

It has been part of my work m life to help to break down someof these
barriers and thereby to set free the spirit of man It has been my privi-
lege in so domg to enter into the lives and activities of others who have
been working with me for the same ends In that way I have experienced
the joy of losmg some of my separateness and of becoming a h vi^ part of
a greater organic whole Looking back I am conscious that I could
never have made these opportunities for myself on my own mitiative, and
therefore the debt that I owe to those who provided tne necessary outside
stimulus IS incalculable Percy Alden first broke down for me the barners
of class Keir Hardie inspired me with the ideals of his nch and generous
personality Chnstabel Pankhurst imparted to me her faith m the
potentialities of a free and awakened womanhood But above all it has
been my Wife who has opened for me the wmdows of the spint and let m
the light and air of the greater life to quicken and refresh my being

It IS part of the fascination of life that withm the framework of
similarity there exists infinite vanety The question arises as to the
extent to which the characteristics of an individual are dependent on the
^n\mw^n’‘»£at,Wi7^.tn.whir.h-he-helniyis .Are there for instance, inherent
racial differences ’ Is there a class psjrehology ’ Does the distinction of
sex extend beyond the physical into the mental and moral reatos
Mixing as I have done at vanous times m my life in intimate association
with all sorts and conditions of men and women. I have had specif
opportunities of observation of these matters, and I will set down me
conclusions which I have reached as the result of my expenence
I do not believe that sex differentiation extends to the mental
Men and women, as I have found them, appear to me cquaUy caP^^Ie oi
-ibstract reasoning and of applymg it if they choose to concrete cas«
The exercise of this faculty, liowever. is greatly affected by environm^t
-nd education, and there was, untd rccehtly a wide difference m the

\ M\ PHILOSOPHY 207

trcaWnt of the sexes m these respects It is not surprising therefore if
the tasual observer, contrasting the perforromce of tlic highly trained
man with that of the less trained woman, has imagined an inherent
difference between the sexes which in fact docs not exist Tins miscon
ception IS probably disappearing today in view of the closer approxima-
tion oi the training of boys and girls

I fJo not hold the same view with regard to emotional reaction
Though, m this sphere also, upbringing plajs an important part, it seems
to me imquestionable that, after full aJIowance has been made for thi->
factor, a residual difference does exist which can only be attnbuted to
sex That does not mean, of course, that all women arc more emotional
than all men, which is demonstrably false It means simply that the
emotions of the average woman give a more sensitive response than
those of the average man The separate judgments of the two sexes arc
therefore a valuable check on one another

But this IS by no means the end of the matter The more profound
question still remams to be answered as to whether men and women
approach life from the same angle and with the same objective I am
uiclmcd to thmk that they do not Of course they have m common the
desire for the satisfaction of their imme<iate personal needs— physical,
mental, emotional, and creative— m all their varying forms But whereas
men tend to look upon life as an adventure to w lived at the time for its
own sake, women tend to regard it as a means to an end which finds its
highest expression in the concern for the future of the race This differ-
ence of approach, which may well be physiological* in its origin, inclines
women to be more personal and subjective than men and to distrust the
application of logic to individual life It makes it more and not less
important that their viewpomt shall be represented equally with that of
men in the counsels of the nation

When wc pass from sex to class wc arc confronted with an entirely
different problem For whereas sex i^ a law of nature, clasa is man-
made, and whereas human bemgs cannot change their sc\ they can and
frequently do change their class As I liavc known it in western Europe
during my lifetime, class has been mauilyf a mat ter of length of purse. It
is that which has detemuned the character and duration of a man’s
training, his style of Iivnng, his opportunities for recreation and culture,
and whether his mam job in life sliall be to giv e orders or to obey them
The outward consequences of the division into clashes arc twofold
First, there is the denial to a large section of the population of the oppor-
tunities of enjoying the material heritage which the genius and labour of
past ages have built up for succeeding generations The second is m the
limitation which is imposed thereby on the commimity’ in selecting the
best men and women for difficult and responsible posts of authonty and

• It IS intefesting to observe that amoog the bees and the anls ubete a fcmal- .
prevails, the comforts, and even the Lves ol the exisbng ceoeration seem IrcQucniWX^y
!>acnficed to the n eed of secunng the well being ol the generaUon that u >et to be ^

t At other times and places, class has had a racial, hereditary or cultural * .

some traces of these distinctions continue to exbt in our societ} today but *“*1

pracucal purpose, subordinated to the B»oac> coosideratioo. ‘ r are for

2o8 FATEHASBEENKIND

control Tlicse arc grave evils and a society which tolerates them stands
in my opinion self condemned But there is also a more subtle but no less
pernicious consequence namely that m the realm of mmd

I have already noted (m Chapter II) the prevalence at Eton of a
superiority complex and to a lesser degree this appertains to the whole of
what IS known as the governmg class inoursociety This frame of mind
has its butter side It creates a sense ol assurance and a freedom front
pettiness It promotes loyalty and courage In fine personalities it
t n^.cnd(.rs cc urttsy and generosity and compels a behaviour which is best
described by ilie breach phrase noblesse oblige But at the same time
it inculcates class t\tlusivcness and thereby limits sympathy and in
baser types it encourages an indolent tolerance of wrong and an obstinate
ind selhsh resistance to change which unless overcome may lead to
national dechne or internal revolution

The corresponding infenonty complex which tends to be fostered in
the governed class arises from a sense of frustration and is almost wholly
bad in Its effects These differ m different individuals In some it
induces a lack of self confidence and inclines them to accept unquestion
ingly a more subordinate position than that to which their capacities
would entitle them Others it makes bitter and aggressive They are
deeply resentful when they find their way to advancement barred by
men and women who with no better brains than themselves and it may
bt with less industry obtam preferential treatment due to parental
wealth and influence Their bitterness is increased when these persons
being placed m authority over them exhibit incompetence and sloth and
even show disdain for thetr subordinates

Of course not every one is affected equally if at all by these efaa
divisions Scientists doctors technicians highly skilled mechanics and
m my thcr men and women m humbler walks of life find in their work and
daify duties ample sc pc for their creative faculties which sets them free
from artificial inhibitions The same detachment from converitional
social standards exists in scats of learning and research with a result
which those who have been pnvijcgcd to participate in them cannot fail
to have appreciated

Some persons at all penods m the history of the world have delioer
ately discarded the prerogatives of their pnviJeged position Some again
st irting from the other end of the social scale have been able by their
cxccptnnaJ ability aided perhaps by good fortune to nse out of the class
m which they were bom Others eschewing separation from their
fellows have become their Jeadirs and' have essayed' tfie task oi'raisui^
thcstalusoftheirclassasawhoJe such high purpose if earned througn
sinVrtly and courageously builds up character and enlarges personality
I rtunately tb( rc are a number of such men and women in our society
t day and I am pn\ilegcd to count many among them as my intimate
friends

The tvils that arise from racial disunity need no emphasizing m the
nil 1st of the most h irnble war the world has ever known It seem
aim St incredible that wt should be engaged in this fratncid d 5 ^”/^ wnen
{ r tlK first lime m history control of economic resources is suen tnai

MY PHILOSOPHY 209

complete bfe could be secured for everyone whether the colour of his skm
be white, yellow, brown or black What is it that afilicts nations, so that
instead of pooUng their knowledge and industry for the common good,
they have elected to destroy one another and the very structure of cmli-
zalion they have built up? When this war is over we must find a more
radical cure for this disease than mere punishment of the guilty parties
There must be an all round rcntmciatton of the claim to dominate and
exploit other jjeoples, and a willingness to make any sacrifice to secure
the universal observance of this rule of conduct Those who m their oun
lives have already ceased to recognize the barriers which separate races
from one another will have a special part to play in helping to bring this
new conception into being

It may seem trivial to turn from these great causes of human
dissensions to the transitory misunderstandings between >oung and old,
but 1 cannot accept that view For (he rcbulfs of childhood and adolcs*
cence leave scars, which disfi^fe the personality m after life The
young have the excuse of their inexperience if they fail to appreciate the
old, but the old ought to be able to remember their own youth, and
respect the personahty of the young They will find their own personality
greatly ennehed thereby No less a person than Lcnm, whose life was
crowded with public activity, regarded bis day as incomplete unless it had
provided him with some leisure m which to play with a child . Torlu-
natcl> there arc today an increasing number of those who sec m dificrcnccs
of age no obstacle to free interchange of thought and cxpcnence

Countless fragments of the Great Life do not belong to the human
family. There are the higher ammib whose frame resembles our own
There are the birds who share our aesthetic joys There arc the wtsc
insects whose civilizations were built up long before human history began
Th».re are the great trees and the flowers, the glory of whose apparel far
outstrips our highest conscious effort It is an abiding joy to me to be
able to claim kinship with all of these, and even with the majestic stars
who sweep through their courses m the unfalhomcd depths of space.
Their life and ours, taken together, constitute the whole design of the
Universe, like the colours of the rainbow which m combination produce
white light

I often think of the words "wntlcn by Matthew Arnold* regarding
Sophoilcs— he saw hfcslcadilyandsawitwhole*— and set them before me
as an ideal For I refuse to be dnven through life m blinkers and insist
upon facing facts, even when they arc most disagreeable, and even when
they conflict with my previous convictions. I have found by expenence
that only in this way is the mind receptive to new truth It is sometimes
said that a man of no pnnaplcs is a danger to himself and soaety, and so
he L> Uut an even greater danger may be the man whose pnnaplcs are

• In A t T '• i Fiund.

O

210

FATE HAS BEEN KIND

SO n^d that he refuses to learn from the logic of events For our reactions
of thought and conduct have to be related to the world around us
as it IS, and not as it might be if it were constructed according to our
imagination °

Many of the facts that we meet with are hard to comprehend and still
harder to accept Sin and suffering and death, cruelty and oppression,
the constant triumph of wrong over right have puzzled our forefathers and
will contmue to puzzle us and succeedmg generations I have myself
devoted much thought to the law that ordains that all life must Jive upon
hfe To this law we, in common with others, are ourselves subject If
then we beheve, as I do, that all life is part of the Great Life and that that
Life IS the Life of God, then not merely on sacramental occasions but
whenever we eat or dnnk or even breathe we are partaking of the body and
blood of God This is mdeed a great mystery which we must accept in all
reverence We need have no scruple m enjoying our food, because that
enj03unent too is part of the great Jaw But we must eat with the
mtention of sustaining and strengthening our bodies so as to fit them for
the high tasks they have to fulfil, otherwise, if weeat and drink in a way
that saps their vitahty and lessens their effiaency, we not only do wrong
to ourselves hut are guilty of blasphemy itself

From time to time we find ourselves shocked by the working out
of the natural law Inevitably we contrast its ruthlessness and the ever
recumng waste and frustration of Ji/e* with our own heart s desire for
umverstd happmess and harmony Wc seem, as it were, to be placed on
the horns of a dilemma Dare we arrogate to ourselves the right to pass
moral judgment on the great law itself and declare it to be wrong and
wicked? If not, are we prepared to admit that our pity for the afflicted
and the dying, our solicitude for the weak, our care for the aged are
misplaced? t

The truth seems to me to be that the great laws of hfe cannot be judged
by the same standards as the laws of human conduct Even among mtn
the duty of two individuals may be widely different , and what is nght for
the macrocosm is by no means necessarily nght for the microcosm Or,
to put the matter in faiblicai language 'My thoughts arc not your thoughts,
saith the Lord, nor are my ways your ways ' This is a hard saying, but
we have to remember that God xs revealed to us, not only in the life of the
Universe around and m the teachings that have been handed down to us,
but a lso m the recesses of our own hearts It is only in a combination of
iJL^bfteR,mpdhivis/ifinJ3jynacb. that witcan-ba^e to comprehend something
of His Being

According to the wisdom of the East, cause and consequdKo form the
basis of the whole spintual and natural ndrld and Jvamii is tl c working

9 /h

Are Cod aoti Nature then st>lme
** Thai Naiui* IcdU» sucii'dnl drr^rs
So Mxr/ul ol Ike Ifpr U*e n-rw*.

So cartlcu of the ble

t It would appear lo be «J tM«e »ucb philwplte rr*«niins that Ite
rnlL Tbi* bcTMV »DCulcale» * revfrufio lo the Ubical aundardt ol a
wlucb bomaa aocKly baa couaciotiJy diacartkUaod cutgremo

ufxle Ui"r

(tralMCt

MY PHILOSOPHY

21 1

out of this fundamental law m the mfinite vicissitudes of life The
central doctnne of the Chnstian faith is the Forgiveness of sms To many
It seems that these two doctrines are mutually exclusive and that they
have to make their choice between them But I do not see it m that way,
for I do not regard Karma as punishment, nor Forgiveness of sms as an
escape from consequences

X When the body is subjected to an acadent or falls a prey to disease, it
cannot resume its full functions until it has been healed The heahng
be done by the hfe forces withm the body itself which are awakened by the
sensation of pain, but they can be helped by the conscious attitude
of the patient and by the ministrations of the doctor Whether the
cure be pamful or otherwise is a matter of comparative unimportance,
what IS essential is that it shall begm before the trouble has become
chrome and that the restoration to health shall be complete

It IS precisely the same with maladies of the spint whose symptoms
are what are c^ed sm They ravage the personahty, and reduce its
powers to perform its proper functions But within are the healmg
forces which Karma stimulates mto action Repentance is the spmtual
prerequisite of the co-operation of the patient m his own redemption, and
the Forgiveness of sm assures to him the lovmg kmdness that lies behmd
the treatment to which he will be subjected

How much further can we go’ Can we enter mto conscious union
with the Great Spint who founded the laws of life> who fashioned the wild
rose, who taught the stars their courses, and who, with magnificent oarmg,
gave man free will and m so doing permitted bun to Bout the divme
hannony’ Humbly we sit at the feet of the great teachers whose vision
has extended so far beyond our own as to seem difierent, not merely m
degree, but in kmd They are the prototypes of the race to whose
expenence we may aspire in the future to attain But here and now to
each one of us is accorded a special individual relationship with the
Central Life We are consaous of a guidance which shapes our ends and
hghts our path One day a greater bght will be given to us, and m
antiapation of that day we tnm the lamps of our hearts so that, when
It comes, It may irradiate our lives

THE END

INDEX

Aidvluh, Emir 1S3
Aberdeen, South, candidature for its t6
Abyssinia, i8j i8y-8
. Franchise League 83

Adda£iis.Jane,36,jrj mi
A ddu, Sir Chariea 179
S 33,38 ^

Afric^South Jameson Raid, ja Boer War *« <*al
Oilnese Labour 61 67 visits to (1800)
. a (1903) 66-7
W •^*“0 The, 17a

Alden, Percy mBuenee of 33-8 48 ao6 Im
so editor of the Echo 38 61 at our
• “iSi***, ^ mentioned, 44,6 83
^bedkar Dr 17a
Aadm visit to lat
Angell, ^ Norman 1x4
Anl^ visit to 183
tob village feud i8a

a — (Headmaster of Wixenford) ao at
Ar^SwW(Lord) tjjandn
^pland, Robert 18

Asqi^ H H (Lord) on Free Ttade pamphlet 61
aiioragetie deahnn with 70 his continued
oppontlon to votes for women 79 the Leeds

bood^i

w to votes tor women 79 the Leeds
80 the spirit and the letter 87 Man
iSrage Bill 87 rea-j tupersMed by

-vvJTSuarage BilfS? toa-i f-r

uord George 104 his attitude to womens war
*w«. tit I the Wee Frees lao hia speech
^Mshadowing support for Labour GoverenKnl

^m, visit to 147
Attturir Ketnal 183 4
Athena visit to 183
Athol, Ouebets «L *93
Attlee Clement, aoo si
Australia visit to 43
Aiistiu 4lteri9i8 tac ..
overrun by ^tler 198

Baasbiic, 183

Barge jy

Bai^ Mrs 80

Baldwin, Stanley (Lord) rotes for women an
nounced by 104 3 Prune M nister (1933) >*7
again (19x4) 139 deputabons to t34 >43

v*“Cns 130 the Hoaie*Laval proposals, iSs
defeated oq Equal Pay moUon *90 the Spanisli
War r93 3 non intervenpoo *94 retirement
of *92 bears Munich debate 198 estimate oL

193

Balfour Arthur (Lord) fiy
Bancroft Sir Squire 34

Bank of England Treasury atbtude to *39 changed
*79 foreign loans of, 161 163 gidd crisis (i93i>

i6a-3

Bank of IntemaPonal Settlements >3a 3 onJ n.

Bankniptcr roa

Ban on, ^derman Z38

Barcelona 173

Barker John. 37

Bames, George 48

Barnett Canon 48 38

Baroda Gaekwar of, 17a

Belgium, German nvasions of (1914) >1° (>94<>J
ao3

Belloc, Hilaire 33
Benes Dr m 7 197
BengaL 147

Benn Capu o Wedgwood, J46. 173
^ Table Mnfeience 171 a

B g^am. Mr justice So i

> lUiogton, Miss, 73 '

213

Bird Lady 143
Birthplace, 19
Blum, Ldon. 194

Boer war concentration camps, 3a 3 33 inadeot
oL 6f the settlement, 60 66 estuzute of 3
Bryce s comment on, 38
Boggart Hole Clough, yo't
BondScld Margaret, 139

Booth, Charles^/raedL^ure/fkePeepfr 4711., 48
Booty Percy A 41
Bose Sir Jagadis 147
Botha, Guiml 60-1
Boughey Rev (tutor at Tnnily] 31
Boulogne, leaden intervrews at 98*100
Bratlsiord H.N leader «nter to the £cAe 38 6t a
the ConciUat o^B IT 17
BrandeiSi JtsQce xaa
Bray Regiiiald,d5
Bnaod, A 146

BeixtOQ Gaol on remand at, 90 unpruoned In,
94 7 pel t one for pol ticaJ treatment, 96 hunger
strike. 9& forcible feeding 97 release 97
Broadmoor near Dorkiog 3$

Brook Mrs 38 64

Bruce S. M iPrunt Miauterof Australia) >30

Brm James (Lord) quoted, 38

Buda *20 184

Buns John 48

Busk. Su Edward 9a

Butler R. A. (Under^Seerttary fee Foreign ASain)
193

Busioo Charles Rodeo 114
Buxton. Mrs Charles Roden, lao
Buxton Noel (Lcrt Noe{ Buteo) 33
Buxioo.SirT Fowell 114

.. {And u* under Education )

Campbell, A Y G 34 visits to {1897) 38 39
secood visit 4* (>9*5 *47

Campbell Bannermaa, Sir Heory T U deputation
to 30 his KtUement with the Boers, 60 suSrage
d^tatioo to 70 numatsof 67
Cauads. VIS is to (tgra) 99 (19*3) *44
CanaiogToam, 48 <e seg 60
Canton viat to 43

Capital levy mposaL 1*7 ra3 1x4 laS Parbamen
tary amendmrat 135
Carpraler Dr Edward, 36

Cartwright,, S3

CeykHi, <a

Cb^bociain, Sir Austen, 134 his ParhamenCarr
manner 143 voles sga inst Germany s League of
Naticeis daim, 146

Cbambettain jeseph 34 visit to, 35 Liberal
UoKOist 39 Boer War 3a Tanfl Reform

Neville on Capital Levy amendment
Health, 143 ius action on
municipal banks quesuon 133 his firN,**., !

J9TS estimate of the Munich negotiations, im
b s wanung regarding PeJand 199 oSSci
..eeo missed the bus sr-ioT?-**

s warning regai
eUSJR 199
resigus Premiemhip.

bus speech,
coatrasted wiuT

Chmlerton G K. quoted. 36-7
CUesgo Hull House. 113 131
Childhood 13 17
China visit to, 45 4 our ally 303

314 IN

CburchiU, VVuutoa, defoaU 0«tfoiir (a Kuchetttf,
67, u Uome Secreury, 8j, defatted ia Leteeiter,
>37-9, proposed dinner pvt/ o(

•gtiDSt, Ijo, PvlUatenU^ ddfertoces with,
i4»>i; bif bud^eU, 141, Pvbtmentuy *tU/ w
lUtlie' egtfnst 141, bit ruction to Um geonal
stnke, 14], bis CootnbuUry peruioos
>42-3, biioppoMtloa toSooi^ea s bud8et,(>9}o),
>34~j> tus wtutun^ regtrdiag Cenzuii revnib*
loent, >93-6, succeeds Cbamberltm at Prime
Mioiiter, rot. hJOg Georges esiioute of, 137;
cited, jn , mention^, I04.st3, 173
Qv>] List, t9t-s

Civil &ervi«, pmaocial SecreUr/'e cobtrol ot, zst.
cost-of living bonus incorporated in taJvies, >61,
equal pa/moUoa. too
Clvk, Jane (^andmotner), >7
Class oistuicuciiia aot, 307 eief m , f aoS
demenceau, G , tat, quoted, >i< n f
acment'a Inn, our home, 39, luSragettes' rooms (n,
ft, 99, removal from, 11 f
aiSard, Dr 38
Qub membenbip refused, 10a
Q/oes, J R , I3t, >93
Coabtion Government, >04, split (isaa). lag
Co^unatioc, 39
Col*. J . aw, 37
Colendge, Lord, 91, 93, 99
Conciliation Bills (191a and 1911), 87 '

Coascnptian BiU, 199
Coaservativ* Part/

Anti ftco-trad* >38

Labour Government 3 destruction deterouncd b/,
z6o

Lone spell of power, Z30
MacDonald aedaJtM b/ >6/

Muiucb negouatioaa eSect on, 199

Post war aima of ((919). lat

Spanish Ww. atutude to. 194

Strength of, after tood election, 87, {1933). t3i.

Courtney, [

ly. SS

C^an, ...

Cowell, Philip, 33. 3a
Cianborn^ Lord 19S
Creswell, Colonel, 6t~j
Ctipps, Mr Slaftord, 139-da
Crooks, Will, 48, d4
Cruelt/ to cnimals distress at, Z7
Czecbo-Slovakia gold of banded over to Ger*
txan y, r/jg , Bntub policy regarding 19^197-8,
Sudeten Oumans lo, 197, German occupatsoo of,

Daily Htrali, 16S
Daily Paf*r, 63
Daily Ttlefrapk cited, So
Dafton. Hugh 174
Darling, Mr Justice, 103
Cuwm Qecsje,

Davie VViIbam, 1S4
Dav, Mr 3$

Defence Budget, 199-300
d Egville, Sir Howard, 130, 146, 370
Denbigh 67

Denmark seized by Hi tier, 30i
Despard, Mrs , 73> 75
Detroit, 143
Devlin Joe 13^

Dimitrod.’tSo. DumtroS Committee, j8o
Diplomatic Service closed to women, sod
I^rmaoient Conference, 161, 170
BSaif'pa^iLord Provost of Glasgow), >13 andn
Drummond, 5frs ( General), 77—9

Duckers Saolt. 130

Dunkirk, 203

SaszatN wisdom, uj

iO-B, 60, cootnbuCon to, 63, losses on, do,
6S-d

EconoQue equality not achieved b/ women, >od
Economics, iwentictb century, 7, studies in, 34;

Oxford lectures In, 3d f

Eden, Anthony, >88, 293

te for, 184-3,
Education day-sebooL 20, tioarding school (Wtseo

try, 33, double first, 3J, Smith a .

in economics and Adam South Pnse, 34 de
bating at the Union, 34, President, 34, Fellow

Edwards, Passmore. 37

S visiU to (1904), 65, (1933). 180, Anglo-
tlan Traaty, 18a
X Pnncesi, 192

Equal pay motion, Baldwin Government defeated
oo, 1^0

Etpdrance Girls' Qub, 38-9

Eton CoUeg^ 31 <8 s/y . game^ jt, sr-d faggmg,
33, r^pmCA 34, cnmcuiinn, 24-3, Tomlin Pnsa,
33. C^rgers and Oppidans, ad, 'Fop', ad. the
Head. 37, Captain of the Oppidans, 27, Royal
visiton. 2$, infiuence of the MocL aS^, ques>
tioncf Its future, 29
Evans, Myrddin. 138

Exchange Equalisation Account, 149. 159, 179

Fawcett, D^» Mibmi, >4$, her tribute to the
oubcanu 73
Fawcett PhiLppa, 33, do
Fight the Fhmme Council, reo
Fmxociaf policy Currency Lawftpaf), 248-9, roa-Ji
Bank a deali^ ngudiog the Gold StandsM, 133,
Standi resica^d >n Britain >41 end no ,
sequential economic bluxaid, >37, May Com
BUttee, 137, their Report >de-*, MacmiUan Com
miitee, rdr-a, Ihrsat of Bntain s going off CMo
Slandud (>93r), 163-4, allround cuts i67>
departure from Cold Standard 167, American
depanuie. 178-9, Exchange EquaUsation Account,
>49 >59 >79

Fsaewal Review (/ Reviews, 64
Fusancial Secretary to the Treasury, X5>

Fisber, Sir Wanea, 151
Fleicber. H U . 37 /

Floud, Lady, 224, <49 ,

Fourwaya (Peaslake). g ri , Z33, 303
France MacDonalds policy regarding, 136 >^-
Credits refused by, lo Great Britain (rgji) >63<
non intervention* In Spanish War, 294, 293,
disquieting ccoditioas in (1937) >96, obbgatioos
to Crecho^ovakij, 297, HiUer s conquest oi, aW
Ftniencb Empress, aS
Fuad, Ring iSo
Fujiyama, Mount, 43

Games card, 16 biBiards and whist, r?. r* 33.
130 lawn tenOH, 30 3>. 32, 49, “4, 149. >5*'
fooibaU 21 chess, 173 _

Gandhi, Mahatma, 148, Round Table Coulcieoce,,

371-3

Gawthoipe Mary To ,

General elections 1 1906). 67. the couPon', 119-2^
(1923), 131 (1924) Zinowef ^t'« 1^,0,“

efiecU 339. (t929) 150 {lOjr) <•>« 1^"*
Mandate, 168-9, (1935). 186-8, rrgislrauon
position after the wv, 104 i

215

GeaertI Strike, i^i-a

G^a Protocol, 137, Intemational House. 200
G«orge V, King Speech from the Throne (igaj).

ijr.^vETsatioa with, 137, his death, joo
tieorge VI, King 192 "

George, David Lloyd, interested in the Erie, 37, s8,
social relations with, 61, Chnstabel Pankhnrsts
exaMnatiott of, 79, makes no concession, 87,
t fo women suffragists joa , defeatM

at Dundee, 114, advocates the knock-out Uow.
iij. Parliamentary strength 0/ his following
120, at the Peace Conference, lai, advo-
«tes larger Government spending 157, on
&i^ s defection from Free Trade, 138. suppwu
Bill for taiaiion of land values, r6o
Ji'orie, Dame Margaret Lloyd 63
Germany (arkf stt HiUet) War of 1924-18 5-«.
iro-ri, 115, iift-ig {and ut that krodiw). Treaty
of Brest Litovsk, 1 1 S and n • . Treaty of Versailles
*21, »war guilt declaration, lar, Rhineland
owupabon by Alhes, 143, visiU to, 108-9 126,
lau of the mark. 126, MacDonalds policy re
170, reparation obligations, 162-3,
onusa loans to 16a, unemployment in, 179,
Wiugees trom, i8r rearmament, 185, 193-6,
Russian Treaty (1939), aoo. War of I9i9
. 203. invasion of U S S R . soi
Gerothwohl, , 130 •<’

43. 47
Gibraltar, 178

G Intone. Herbert (Lord), 79 83
Gla^^tone, W B hu income tax. ao on a visit to
28. bis Boer policy, 31, bis Irish Home Rule
pnuey, 50, the closure, 13S, ouoted, 92
C ajgow University. 33
Dr . 33 ’ “

Glen, Alexander, 158

Md enw, u$ under Fuiancial policy

^h. Dr G A . 33

Great Britain Egyptian Treaty 180 statement as
to collective lecuntv. tS6 boIiot in the Soaoisb

4 tgyptiaa treaty iso 4(aiiu.vu. —

M collective lecunty, t86 poh^ in the Spanish
293 end n -193, pledge to Roland, 199 200,
War (<9391, 200, the phoney' war 201 Dunkirk.
263i Battle of Britain, 203 post'war prospect,
- *«4

Greenwood A , 200 20a »»

Grey, Sir Edward (Lord) 70, tt^xi
Gumneii, Walter {lord Moyne). 133

181

Hailiham Lord, 24
MMifax, Lord, 248, 193
Hamilton, 144
Hammond, J L , 37

Hankinson, Fred, 06. si8, t6l. visit to, in Buda
Pest, 126

•Hardie, Keir, first Cbainnan^f Labour Party, 67.
his estimate of the Woman Suffrage Movement.
67. his suspiaon of Court influence, 191, hla
death, 111, estimate of 64, his cmnmon sense,
62. quoted 38, mentioned, 48, 50, 109 2<4
Hamson, Fredenc, 38
Hartshorn, V , X32

Hastings, prospective Labour candidate for, 119
Hastmgs Sir P , X38

Healy, inn, 91, 93

Heart 0/ Ika Emfnfi, The, 35 , „

Henderson, Arthur, X66, elected President of Dis-
armament Conference, t6i, 170
Herford, Dr. Brooke, 36
Hertzog, General, 67
Hillman. Sidney. 122
HiUya^ Branw, 49

Hirst, F W .

Hiller, A . of, 179, 299 menace of 180 Spaai»
rebels reinforced by. 194, overruns Auslns. 106;
Chamberlain s visits to, I97-^ overwhelms
Czecho-siovakia. 199, seises Denmark. Norway
- , etc., 201, defeat of pre requisite of pe^ce. 6
Hoars, Sir S 172 quoted on collective security,
»86, Hoare-Lavil proposab for Abyssinia, 1S7

Hobbouse, EmJy, 33, 39

Hobbouse, Mr , 102
Hobdays with pay, 132
Holland 113,203

Holland, Ca^o ^tt, 38 •

Holmes, Justice Oliver Wendell, 122 aed is.
Hohswood, 92, 97 the Mascot, 60 children's cot
tage at, 65, bailiffs in. 99, 201, sale at, 101-2,
the Mascot given up, 123
Hong Kong 43
Honolulu, 46
Hopkins, sir Richard, 239

Howard, , 127

Hugbes, Rev Hugh Price, 48
Hungary, 126
Huoger striking, 82

Hyndman, . 48

Iwrcv. Mr, 24

Impruonmeot, effect of, 91, 94
lodependent Labour Party, 64

Brahma Samaj movement. 39
Congress claims m 1926, 147
Jamabandy 41

Round Table Conference, 272-3
Simon Commission 171
Trade Unioos in. 148

Visits to (l8g7), 37 d ttf , (1926) Silver Honey-
moon. 146,

Wage rates in (2897), 39
lodia Act 273
Inge Deao 24 «• *
lonshtuck 109
Instone, Capuin A 228-9
loternatioeaJ Labour OSre, 121, 1X2, lit
later parhamenuiy Union, meetings of in Berne,
137 in Amenea, lajM. 144. <a Berlin

iirs„s‘ lule electoral victories (1906) 67,
Ulster rebelhon 203 obstruction tactics, 233
Isaacs Sir Rufus (Lord Reading), 91
IshraaiL Sir Mirxah, 247
Isleof Wight taws unnis tournaments, 124
Islmcton. South 222,124 223
Istambul Confereoce of \Vomea (1933) 283-4
IlMy, llbeisi n (Ani srr Musso^)

Jackson Perry and Alice, lax
Jacobs Dr Aletta, 112
James Sidney 27

Japao visit to 44~S. ^c^my side of, 46, war with
Russia (1904) 43 tbree-Power naval agreement,
136. invasmo of Maochuru, 1S3, war (1941), 203

J aurts, tio
ayakar Mr, 172

I cbb. Eglantine I20
ews. wm of m Palestine, 181
iTif^h, Ur, 147
oshi Hr 17a

oynsoa Hicks, Sir Vraffiam, 130
nvenel, H , 243

KauviN. Lad, 33
' Ketmey, Annie 69 70
Kerr, ^ss, 72
Keyi^ j M , X3
Khun, Bela, xx6

Kirkwood D. 130
Knight, Mrs., 69
Knight, Mn Ahce. 73, 76-7

Labouk International, 109. no

ekctioo, X20, nropagaodaimk fi. cempon’

01 Cm). uta „s«.

O’COKKO*, T. P , 6o
Old Aw Pca&iont, Inititutloa ol, 6j .

rcauotu, iniiiiuuoa oi, 07 .

'iiora Uoion — debate on dc^reei ior women, 33,
Uvlogtlooe Societ}', 36, Dunkin I^Ieaaor ol
Mancbeeter College, 36

Oilord Uolvemljr coraausuoned work lor,

123. >24

PALIITIKt, visit! to, l8<

Pankbunt, Cbnstabd The Free Trade Hall protMt,

f », her University degree, 70, irapruoned. 67,
er luSrage policy, 68, soundness of her by
election p^cy, 84, arrested (1907}, 73, one of
three controlling policy, 75, tpoeeb at Albert lUU
O908), 77. ber examination ol Lloyd George and
H Gladstone, 79, impnUQCd for incitement hand
bdl, 79, agrees to truce (>9^ro), 87. ends it, 88
escapes to Franca, 89, in Pans 91, decides 00
extreme militancy, gS, the Boulogne interviews,
98'ioo. estimate of, too, her view of Suflra
gettes, 86, mentioned, 64, 81, ao6
PaoKburst, Mrs , founds Women s Soaal and
Political Union in Manchester, 70, her rote 7},
mptiaoned, 77, 79, inadent at Suffragette Fay,
85, Conspiracy trial, 68, expels us from W S PU ,
99, alone at Albert Hall meeting too. estimate
of. too

Paakbutst, Sylvia, 73, 83, loo, T*/ SuStatMt

AfotimiMf, 81

Paokhunt family, 67, zoo

Paru ChruUbu Pankburst In, gt, tnterpartia*
meatary Union meeting in, 144, Womaa Suffrage
Congress In (1916) 146
Parliament House of Commons
BUls and amendments, 134
CbuKhiU s electoral defeaten, proposed duuief
‘30

Coanuttees of, 133-4

Couticution of. after ‘coupon* election, im

elections for, ut General elecilooi

cx prisoner Members of, dinner to, 130

Ijkea and dislikes in 133

Membership ol 1x9-30

Non-cootrovcrsial activitiet of, 138

Obstruction In, 133-6 and <s, i}7

Opposition leader s functioas, sot

myer Book discusslom m, 170-2

PTOcodursof 133-4

Royal Assent ceremony, 137

Speeches In, 139-40, >38, maiden speech, 134-5

SuSta|elte raidf on, 81, occasions of, 73, 74, 79

Traditional forms of, 131, 137
Peace, deounds of, 6
Peach, Hiny. isS
«arc«, Dr Margaret, 30
Pearse, Mark Guy, 60 v

Peaslake removal to Tourways, 1x3. gardeo,

9 " . *03

Percdenlya gardens, 4X

Pethick, Harold (brother in law) 144

Pethlck, Henry (father in law), S®, 7»-3 .

Pethick. Mrs Henry (mother In Uw) quoted, 130-7
PtthicW. May (sister-ui law), i87
Pethick, Tom (brother in Uw), 1X4
Pethick familv. s8 . >

Pethick Lawrence Emmeline (wife) love
»>ght, 31. betrothal 36. ®*™***, ,*®‘,

Egypt (1904) 63.*nbroducti« Wi^ta^J^^
toovemeat. 68, early work to the morawi.
69-70. her genius for money-raii^
arrested. 71, Quptuoned 7**

Italy, 73. underUkes civil side of the

73. successful with hostile iludeoix 79.^“« "

her responsibdiues. 79 impnswed dW’ ^

presented with car, 81

w., the Conspiracy tniL 88-9, 9«.

96. lelaaied. 97. the Boulogne
her speech before Mr Justice
seventh impnaonment. 103, contacts "n
many. 108-9. suffrage work in U-SsA-. j
Rusholtae candidature. iZ9-*Oj JfJSooe

USJL (19x0). ZS3. her help m Leiwu*^^*
(19x3). laS, (1924). 2i9- '‘I*** ‘

EX 217

243, to India, 146: to S Africa (1910) gw. ;
to Austria, Majorca, etc., 173. second visit to
Ma}orca, 178, s^t to Egypt. t8o, to Palestine,
x8t, Iitamb^ Conference of WodMH, 183-4, the
bdlnburgb election, 187, visit to Geneva (1939),
too, her attitude to the War, too, Mf Part tw
« CkaHtiHt Werld 81, poem written (or (1930),
4 end H., mentioned, 33, 113, 170^ 19S
rbik>sopb7 of life, X04 a leg

Ptckeiing , M P , 169

Pigou. . JJ

Plowman Mai, fxo

Poland, coodiUoQ of.aftcr t9i6,sxo. British (ledge
to 199.200

PcdiUcalqueslionlngs, 33-4
Poosonby, Arthur (Lord), ax, 124, Itj

Poor man 1 lawyer. 49
Poverty of workers, 47-8

Pifsoa conditions, 95. effects of Imprison men t, 91,
94 reloriDS due to suffragettes. Si
rrivyCouoci) Z9X
Protocol, tea Caieva
Pueblo Indians 144
Purchase Tax, xos

Racial ctauns, tog
Racial mioorilles question, 144
KeformtTt Vtat Daek, Tki, 61
Keigale 67
Rhind George, 184-3
Rhodes Cecil. 63
RbooddJ. Lmd 9X

RkUc. Henry (grand/alhet), xo, 26
Ridge Pelt. 60 148
rITH S, 4I ,

Robertaoo, J M . 33
Kobertsen Miss, 13b
Robins. Elisabeth. 73
RoUeslcM, Sir John. 92
Koorkee. 4s .....

Roosevelt. President, F D . 178
Roetoy<A Doo, visit to, 173
Rowntree Claude. 1x3

Roydre. Mau-*-

Rnooman, L — .

Rusholtse Divisiea riectioe. I ip-jo

Russian Etopre, Japanese war snlh (1904), 43'
Duma dismlined, 67 (5ea else U.5.S R.)

SahooS. eclipse at. 39-4*
Samuel. Sir It (Lord), 141
SaqikI Samuel 134
c»n Ftaooico. 46
Sanders. Mrs. Beatrice. 73. 76
Sandersra Mrs. Cobden, 68, 7a
Sankey. Lord, 17a
Sipco.Si-'^-* —

Tej. i.

Sarabbai. Misa, 148
Saraievo murders, 108 end «.

Sastrs.Hr. 17a
Sauer, — 39
SaTings Dank deposits, 168-9
Sayers. A. G yy
SIwbeiro, Sirs.. 69 70, 71

Scandinavia, 167 i

Schsetner, Croawngbt, 33

Schreiner, Olive. 3a. 33. 34, 64. 66, 69

Scbrtsner W P,3a

Scott. Mc C all u m . 6a

Scott. Sir RhssefL m

Saymgemir, , M.P ,130

Seitivjoha. 130

Sedgwik. — — . 33 '

Sea. Kesbub Chunder. 39
Sea daun c botis , to6-7
Shanghai. 44

Sharp. Evel^ 246, defends the mihtaatx, 73, «]jta

Shaw Georg* Dsaard. 117, letter from, minted, t.c

Shiela. Drummmid. 186 «^<loot«,t4S

SJvtcVi adding cnAhratiacs, 146

2i8 in:

Simon, Sir Jo&n (Lord), a( Cambndge, 3S, the Camp-
bell case, 138, his pronouncement on the general
stnhe, 14s, wavers on Free Trade, 158, leads
Conurussion on India, {71, defends Japan' at
Geneva, t8}, on British policy regarding Abys-
sinia, 189
Skating, 35
SmiUie, Bob, 48
Smith, Michie, 39-40, 42
Smuts Gen , 60-1
Snowde^ Philip his budget (1923), X36,hisCnancui
policy, I4Z, at the Hague, 152, budget ( 1930),
153-5, es Chancellor, 138, Bill for taxation of
Imd values, 160, on mobilizing foreign mveet-
mentt, 164 nt> loins MacDonald in CoahUon
Government, 166, suppivta the Savings Bank
deposits stunt, 168, estimate of, 150, mentioned,

Somal conditions (end of 19th c.], 47-S
Socialism, mevitability of, 56
Solareclipses 39-4t
South African Women a and Children's Distress Fund,
SSi S9

Soviet Union, SM U S S R

Spam, visit to (1932), 178, civil war, 193

Spencer, HerbeH, quoted, 38

Spring, Song of, 9

Scalin^d, visit to r7S

Standard, sufiiage column m, 74

Stead, W T , 6a

Stetson, Charlotte Perkins Women and Eeonemtci,

71

Stern, president, 66
Stoket, Gabnel, 33
Stnckland, Sw G (Lord). 143
Subbarayan Mts.tya
SuJfnieUe, Tia, let

SuRsgettes, 86 {And tee Womens Sooa] and
Pohucal Unieo-J
Swanwick, Mrs n M 114
Swing. Raymond Oram ifS
Switieiland nsiU to (1886) 94. (S9i9). $<. 99 .

(t 9 U). IS 7 .

Syni, visit to 183

r P‘f Weekly 60
Tagore Rabudracalh, 147
Tcck, Dochess of, 28
Tel Aviv 181
Tku GcU Cfuw. 16S and n
Thomas J H , 166
Thomson, J J • 33
Thomson Lcro, 139
Thorne, WUl, 30
TUlett Ben 4*.50
Tok/o 43-6
Topharo Mr ao
Towo Planning Act. 36

Banoerman approached by.

50 the Labour Representation Cooimlttee, 6s.
Tad Vale judgment ovemiled, 67
Transiordania. 184

to tb. Bank.

^^ange of atlltui, 179
Trevelyan, Sly Charles, ri4

Ge^’(Master of Trinity College, Cam-

Ttev^i Sir George 20
Trevelyan. RobetL a®

Trianon, T/ealj^of, J»6

rSefiri. 181-4

Twain. Mark, 38

Ifafon of ^viet Soaahst Rroublics, contrasted with
isanst impire, 5, Brest Litovsk 'matr, n8 and
wunter Revolution in (1919) rar, Mac-
poneld s atmude to, 136, Conservative oppoatioa
to proposed Treaty with, 13S, 138, Zmovief Letter.
13S, sromen s employment in, 173, visit to (1932),
r73 ri eet , impressions, 177, British isolated la,
*74-5. a prison settlement m, 175-6, puce vana-
tions in, 176 totajitanan economy of, 176, m«
dustnal revolution m r77, Spanish Government
roinforced by, 194, Chamberlains policy regard-
mg t99, Cennan Treaty (1939), 200, Gotud
mvasion of (igir), ryy, 203
Unioaist Party, strength of, alter 'coupon' election,
120 (A nd tee Conservative )

Unitananism. 18 tg, it, 39

United States of America, econocoic •theory and
practice in, 7. visits to (1895), 36, (1898), 46-7,
(»9>4), rii-12, lecture tour m (1919). rat.
Anuniun Federation of Labour taa, League of
Nations rejected by, 122, constitution practie
m. 134 *•. three Power naval agreement, 136,
visit to (1925), 14J-4, Interparhamentary Union
meeting m (1925), 143, credits refused by, to Great
Bntain, 263, bns^cast to, ryS, unemployment in
(1912-3) 178, gold standard abandoned by,
178-9. lease and lend policy of, <64, at war (>941),

V4»s8» y?

Vegetamnism 54
Verblud. it6

VmaiBes Treaty el. lat, is2
Vietoru B C, visit le 99
Vieietia, Queen. 27, 28

V^et /or Women, founding end editecship of 76a
Churchill cartoca in, S3, us cirtulatian 86,
ediicnhip during Conspiracy U.a] and imprison
ssenis. 88-9, retenuen oL after expulsion (rca
WSPU, 200 cinuUuoD aaifiUined, »><
banded over to United Sufiragisu, toy 4

Waias South, investlganou in, 148
Waller. John. 20
Walter, Mrs Willtiil,93

War of 1914-2B cause, conduct and selUement oL
)-6. Its uneajwcledness, 108, no, its beguuusg,
110, Its eSect on Woman SuArage moiwmeal.
103. weroen s work in, 104 Asquith s attitude to

this. Ill, 1930', iii-ii women's peace nussioa.

112-13. peace-by aegoUatioa advocacy ii4*iS.
Zeppelins, 116, paying lor, 117 ill, 113 a r"i-
seirolious objected, 118 arnusUce (1918) ti9i
'coupon' eleotioo foDowlag, 119-20, Mocksoe
continued after, no, condiuoai in Lurope, lio
3Var Damage Bill, sos
Ward. Mrs. Humphrey 58, 74
Waite, Edmund (Headmaster of Eton), if, aS
Waucbqie, Sir Arthur, ill
Welib, — (raalliemaUcal coach) 30-31
Webb. Mrs Salaey [Beatnea I’ollef), 4S

Whitley, klr Speaker, ill
war rneet Xue and fall iff
Widows' penwonl, 131 143
Wilkinson. LUea, 14), her Equal Pay moUai, 190
WiJioo, H J , 60 „

VSUson, Pres. Woodrow, ill, hu Fourteen rcantSi
tgan/n t. Aacrican, oppoulion to, in

Woman Suffrage ootmenC. reasons far
to, 68, mihUncT, ua Wocarti s iMctaJ and Ixil 1“
Uoko, eacris K» a Suffrage I1*U la ty’T 7_1- “•

But. 71 Men* Puutical La» .

joial reo“*s*“® I1911I SJ ilrpuuikn w
Asqwlh. 17 ConieJuUon Buis (laio and isHk
I7. war I (fleet on. loj. LMladSuffragula. let <•
the Spaakef's Coolerroro 104. partial euhaoctain-
BCbI achieved. 104. su t e e quect equably. IM-t.
reeujuolealraachuecaesi. iej-7 cusunac iv*oi‘s.
74, laWniKiuoaJ Cca«rcM U I uu (lyJS). < 4 *

IN

WoiiisnsPress,Tb«.73.e6 ' /

Women s Freedom 7 Si **6

Women’s latematKaul League. 111-13
Wttoen s Social and Politick Unioa, iouadmg oL ui
Manchester, Jo, first Londoo imprisomaenls,
fi9~7o course oi the suffrage campaign, 69 ei sto ,
open air meetings, 70, organization of, 72, 73, its
71 74,70,79 nature of the campaign 72,
Lcndoo office. 71 . Monday aftemotfi At Hceus,
71. Overseas visitors inaudiences, 71, its Ranches,
?3 73, Cazton Hall meetings (1907), 73. 74,
tiling out of suffragettes, 74, control vested in
three people, 75, divergence of views (1907) 75,
>*912), 9*^100, press atUtude, 74, 75. 78. 80, *4,
8S. at Caaton Hall Womens Parliament (1908)
78. Albert Hall meeting (Mar 08} 77 a spate of
78. growth of office staff, 77, Hyde Park
wioastiaUon (June 08), 76-8, the eotoars, 79,
Asquiths cootinoed refold of the vote 79, raids
on Parliament, 73, 74 79 8t 88, window breaking,

K . the mcitement ha^hill. 79, growth of the
uoD, So, 87, the tseakfasts, 80, 8t. 83, raltanaU
of window breaking, 81 , police attitude to demon
strators, 81, jomt treasurer, 81, the hunger strike,
82, Court proceedings against sufogettrs, 82,
pnsM refonns, Sa, CburctuUs methods against.
83, Cat and M use Act, 83, latenupUon of Liberal

DEX

mee^s,83-4,bjNeI«tionpoliCT 8a

83, German contWent m t^ T*^'° *iP*^J9essions.
Fn^. 85; number^SiSigsSSrif
01 the movement, 86, a *1^*

tnumvirate. 86. ei pa^..^n ^ 4?« job to Ue
members, 86, deputaiw toMr ““9®

P«*»ds, 87, atUdi onpnviL tn**

'n respect of t£? ?ol *®’ 9«.

Mlkilktadmg HQ M

^•r. 99. Panfehnrsu eitii^.. Wn 5

^War. 203. lAn4

S“‘^'l:*0“rd, review by i,, **

W^wood Scnibbs, 91-/' *

Wecthington Evans, si L., 149

Park, 46-7

Voutb, attitude of Age to, 2 ,

2x8 in:

SisDOa, Sir John (Lord), atCam^idge.Js, tbeCamp-
beU case, 138, his proaouncement 00 the genem
strike, wavers on Free Trade, 138, kads
Commjssioa on India, 171. de(en<k Japan' at
Geneva, 1S3, on British policy regarding Aby^
sinia, Z89
Skating, 35
SnuUie, &b, 48
Smith, Michie, 39-40, 42

Smuts, Gen , 69-t ^

Snowden, Philip his budget (i923)> 136, his finanfja|
policy, 241, at the Hague, 13a. budget ( 2930).
i33'3> Chancellor, 238, BUI for taxaticat of
land values, 160, on mobilising foreign invest*
meats, 164 n.t. joms MacDonald u Coalition
Government, 166, supports the Savuigs Bank
deposits stunt, 168, estunate of, 130, m en ti o oed,

Soc^ conditions (end of 19th c ), 47-S
Soaalum, inevitability of, 36
Solar ecbpses, 39-42

South Aincan Women’s and Children's Distress Fund,
S5' 59

Soviet Union, see U S S R

Spain, visit to (193a). >78, cavil war, 293

Spencer. Herbert, quot^ 38

Spring, Song of, 9

StaliD^ad, visit to, 273

Standvd, suflrage column in, 74

Stead, W T , 6a

Stetson, Charlotte Peridns Women and Eeonomtcs,
72

Steni, President, 66
Stoves, Csbnel, 33
SCnckiud, SwG (Lord), ifj
Subbareyaa Mrs , 17s
Suff'dgUti, The, 202

Suffragettes 86 (And ue Womens Social and
Political Uuoo )

Swuwtdc, Mrs. H M , 224
,Swtog, Raymond Cram, 278
Swittetland visits to (t886] u. <S9is). it. 99.

. (t9S4) «3? .

Syna, visit to 283

r P'iWuhly 60
Tagor^ RabiAdtanath, 147
Tech, Duchess of. it
TelAviv, 182
rha CoU Crutt, 168 and n
Thomas, J H . 166
Tboosoa, J J . 33
Thomsoa Lon, 139
Thoftie, Will. JO
TUIelt. Ben, 48, SO
Toklo 43-6
Topham Mr , aa
Town Planning Act, 36

Toybnee, Arnold, 48 _ . . 1

Trade Unions. Campbell Bannennan apteoacbed by.
50, the Labour Represealalioa Cooiauttc^ 6s,
Ta>t Vale tudgment ovemiled, 67
Trans] ccdania 184
Traveheaseof. before 2924, 208

Treasury, work at. 258*0, its altftude to tbe Bank,
259 ■ change of atUtude 279
Trevelyan, Sty Charles, 124

Cewge* ifasler of Tkinlly College. Cam-
bridge), so ^

Trevtlyan, Sir George, to
Trevelyan Robert, so

Triaaoo,Tfeaerol,2s6

TroUky 118 «.• •

Tube. Mrs. MibH. 8). 88, 00
Turker ref(«nsof AUliuk. |83*«

Twelve SlaVxf otSAirf Rauia, 277
Twain. Mark, 5*

Uxsurvoneivt eflecwot 2S4-3 ;J«*ik« la 1911.
25S. la 29J2. 257. ruintwred mnigu ihmics to 1

Ctatrcf, 123*14

o/^vwf Soaahsf Republics, contrasted with
3, Brest Utovsk Treaty, tlSead
" • ,'^'inter Revolution in (1919), 121. Mac*
Dm^ s atWude to, 236, ConservaUve opposition
to proposed Treaty with. 236, 138, Zinovief Letter,
138, wmensem^oyment in. 173, visit to (2932),
173 « t‘1 . impressions. 177, BnUsh isolated la.

a pnson settlement in, 273-6, pnce vans*
tuns in, 276, totabtanan ecouomy ot 176. m*
dus^ revolution la, 177, Spanish Government
reinforced by, ig^, Oiamhcruins policy regard*
pg. 299. German Treaty (1939), soo, German
invasion of (1941), ,yy, ^03
Unamist Party, strength of, after ‘coupon’ elKUoo,
lio (And tee ConservaUve )

Unitananism, 28. ig, 21, 39
Umted States of America, economic itheory and
pcactice in. 7, visits to (1893). 36, (2898) *6-?.
(29241, 122-23, lecture tour m (1929), rit,
American Federation of Labour rsi, Lugue of
Nations rejected by iss, consututiooal praccic
in, 234 r>.i three Power naval agreemcDt. 236,
visit to (2923), t43-4, Interparbamenlary Union
meetingin {2933), 143 credits refused by. to Great
Britain, 163, broadcast to, 278 unemptoymentui
(1933-3) 273, gold standard abandoned by.
178-9, lease acd lend policy of, 264, at war (1941).

Vansfl. 37
Vegetanaoism, 34
Verblud, 276

VenaiUes Treaty of. xjt, iss •

Victoria B C., visit to, 99

Vieiona, Queen, 37. a8 . ^

V<ie* far Women, founding and editorship o(, 76i
CburtbiU cartoon in 83, its cirtulauen 86.
editorship during Conspiracy ti.al and unprtioo
meats, 88-9 reteaucia of. after expulsion fna
WSPU, — - •

Watu South. I
Walter, John, s
Walter. Mrs nilbid.gs

estgattfns In. 248

War 0/ 2924-28, eaiM conduct asJ leltkoienl of,
3*6. lU unrapecledsess, loS llo iu brginniag.
210. Its rSecI on Woman Suffrage moveoMot.
103. worara's week in. 104 Asquith a altitude to
(his, 111, 1930.111-11 women's peace nussvxi.
iia-is peace-by orgotMUm advocacy li4-23>

Zej^idinx, 116, paymg for, iiy lai, 11) •
soestious objnlor, iiS arausuce (19181 i>9,
coupon’ fWimi foltowing, iig-ao, blocaade
continued after, lao, coodiuons la Luropr, ito
War Oim.ige Bill, soa
Ward. Mrs. Humphrey 38, 74
Wane, Edmund (IteadiMler of Elou), a7> s*
Wauefaope, hir Arthur 181
Webb, — (malhemaUcal cnacb), 3»-3i
Webb. Mrs Sidney (Umirtce i'uller), 48
VVeuman, Dr 181
lteslaa.super^Ma/e, 3I
Whtllrr. 8lr Speaker, lit
WSv Pneat Rue and tali. 213
WnIows’ F wiiioas, 131, 14J

Wilkwxin, tlten. 143. ber Equal I ay molioo, i»s

Wdicn, if J . ho ....

Wilnn, rres. Woodrow iji, bu routteeo I'wilt.

iigenln f, Aonicaa. oi-pmUion to. Ill

Woman —

lo,na,Bi>hlaaey, lee Women • vxu) and
Luoo, efforli tar a SuSiagt tl>3 in

ljjL*^74.^iiars IhTual boiuo. *4.

3n4nt rTO*s»i.«i (lOU). 13 K.»»t

Asomih. I7 C<ncit.ati.n bi-i (lets and laO.*
ay.nai'icSKtoa loi, LwtrfSvfttigttia •
thn Speaker a Ccelwenre i»4. t*rtUlew'a*^^
tscst »Jue»»d. roe. a»ilee>}i.e»t »qua»ir tea ’■
r«auluofentrai>ihiM<n«)t.ie5 T H^eaasnt
ye.leurnalajnaJ Cargrwwln i aiM |lri» . '»•

Wct&is s Press, TW, 73 , 86 '

Wctaen s Freeaom teague, 75. 146
Wooes s latematioaal League, 111-13
Women’s Social and PolitM^ Unxia, founding of in
Mancbester, 70, first London ixnpnsonments,
69-70. course of tbe sufirage campai^ 69 s<f ,
open ait iMetogs ?o,OTganunbiia of, 91 73, its
74. 7^ 79i nature of the campaign 71,
Loodoa oSce, 71 , Monday afternoon At Hocie%
71. Oreiseas visitors in audiences, 71 , its Branches,
75 75, Cazton Hall meetings (ipo?). 75. 74
hailing out of sufiragettes, 74, oootrd vested in
three peo[je, 75, divergence of views (1907) 7s
(igia), of^ioo, press attitude, 74, 75, 78. 8^

88, at Caxton Ball Wacuen's Parliament (tpnfi)
76. Albert Hall meeting fMar 08), 77, a spate of
mishaps, 76, growth of office staff, 77, Hyde Parh
demonstration (Jane '08], 76-8 the colours, 79
Asquith s mniinned refill of the vote 79, rai^
on Parliament, 75. 74 79 8r 88, window breaking
79, tbe incilement handbill, 79, growth of tbe
Union, 80, 87, tbe breakfasts, 80, 8z. 83, ratumaU
of window breaking. 81 , police attitude to demna
sbaton, 8t, joint treasurer, 81, th< hunger strike,
8r, Court proceedings against sufiragettes fir,
P’tscii reforms, 8a, Churchills methods against.
83,CatandU use Act, 83,iateiTuptioaof LiboaJ

sx 319

meetuiga. 83-4, by-election policy, 84, processions,
8j, contingent m a processioa, 109 tbe

Fair, iit number of meetings held, 85, sire of the
staff, 85. humours of voluntary help, 83 spent
of th4 movement, 86, a fuU-tlme job tor the
tnuniwate. 86, ezpansioo of H Q , 86. uoka
B sembe^86,depuU\iaatoUi Asquith, 87, truce
poiods. 87, att^ OQ pnvate p n qie r t y, 88, 08,
damag es m respect of this, tor. Conspiracy trial,
tu liM ktadmf, HQ m Linc^ House, Kin^
aray, 99. PankbuisU ezjiel Pethick Lawrences,
99-sod« ‘Peths’ and Panics*, tot, increase to
violea^h of tactics, >01, militancy susp^ed for
tbeW^r, X03, [And ut Woman Suffice Move-
meat J

Wocjf. l^nard, review by, 123
Wemnrond Scrubbs. 93 4
Wcrthiiititon Evans, Sir 1., 149